Depends. You need some luck, and learn to be good at marketing yourself. More than that though, you need to work your arse off. Work-life balance is something

Depends. You need some luck, and learn to be good at marketing yourself. More than that though, you need to work your arse off. Work-life balance is something you always should be mindful of, but you'll have to work harder and smarter without the leetcode,etc. and a degree, than someone with those things did, to get to the same spot. I think the biggest benefit of leetcode and things like it is that they help you prepare for coding interviews. I've been working as a software engineer for twenty+ years, am making low six figures, and do not have a bachelors degree (I am in the slow process of going back for it). I also don't have a leetcode account. Someone with half my experience, but with a degree from a prodigious school, could be making $300-$400k. I also am more risk averse due to family situation (so no moving to SV/Austin/NYC to take my shot with a startup, yet).