I find the idea of paper degrees being somehow a synonym of "smarts" a bit elitist. As far as getting rich goes (at least in startupland), there's a big differ

I find the idea of paper degrees being somehow a synonym of "smarts" a bit elitist. As far as getting rich goes (at least in startupland), there's a big difference between "so, what can you do?" and "so, what can do to help me"? If life isn't turning out quite like you expected, perhaps it'd be "smart" to be a bit more proactive?