Lots of software jobs have minimum educational requirements. When I did control systems software, an engineering degree (or the odd physics degree) was a hard requirement. Where I work now, certifications are mandatory and the interview process includes a real-world project + demonstration (which you're paid to complete).

You have this false impression that every software job has the same requirements. There are plenty of jobs where candidates have no hard requirements, but there is a large number that do have certification & degree requirements and/or rigorous interview processes.

Jobs building dating apps for dogs have substantially different requirements than one building brake control systems for cars, even if the job title for each is "software engineer."