quite_there_77

I'm not sure that I have a learning disability that could be diagnosed, and I did (barely) finish an undergrad degree, but I feel exactly the same way.

Higher education is (mostly) a market response to social stigma / conventions. Degrees are as much about asserting social class as they are about career prep or the passing on of knowledge.

Anecdotally, I have a number of friends with graduate degrees, some full PhDs. I make more money than any of them and am arguably more successful (by their standards).

Everything I learned in life was self guided. I too am a software engineer (doing some relatively hardcore stuff) and have started more than one successful company.

I can't fix the system, but I will tell my son that higher education is optional and help him get a start on his own (and not just wrt money) if he decides to skip it.

And to more directly address your post, I do consider myself educated and an expert in a couple things. I encountered exactly zero teacher along the way that made a meaningful contribution to that.