Having no degree didn't seem to hold back Mr Gates, he went on to become the richest man in the world at one point. Likewise it hasn't been detrimental to Alan Sugar or Richard Branson.
All a formal education shows is your ability to remember and recall information with regards to a specific topic.
With regards to everyday life, common sense and life experience is going to help you considerably more than a PhD in Neruoscience.
A formal education is not essential. Just remember that when your paying off your student loans.
I don't think it's fair to say that because you can list people who haven't got degrees but have succeeded that a degree isn't important. There's thousands of people who have made millions who have gone to university, but making millions isn't the only thing, there's all the doctors and scientists who save lives every day who do have degrees too. I admit i shouldn't have used the word 'essential', perhaps 'important' would have been more appropriate.