In 2015, I had a half million dollar contract. I went to the University of Nebraska (not an Ivy league). I dropped out. My clothes are usually wrinkled, my h

In 2015, I had a half million dollar contract. I went to the University of Nebraska (not an Ivy league). I dropped out. My clothes are usually wrinkled, my hair is never combed. Some may mistake me for a homeless person on the right day. But I've done open source work. I've spoken at RailsConf twice. I have a good tract record. I have no idea who this "socio-economic elite" is that you refer to, but in general, if you want to make money as a software engineer, you don't need a fancy degree. If you want to make money, you need to learn how to sell yourself and constantly put yourself out there. No university is ever going to teach you this.