Conversely, I know lots of people in their 30s and 40s who don't have a degree, clearly make a lot less and don't (and didn't when they were younger) have acces

Conversely, I know lots of people in their 30s and 40s who don't have a degree, clearly make a lot less and don't (and didn't when they were younger) have access to many, many job opportunities because of it.