Getting entry level positions has been much more competitive than back when nearly free money was flowing to the tech companies. And there have been fewer opportunities for promotion to the positions where you actually make money. I think it'd be hard to find a good starting job without a college degree unless you had personal connections, got lucky to find someone willing to give you a chance, or got lucky by picking a startup that makes it. There are a lot of sweatshop, cold calling mills that mislead the folks they hire about promotion possibilities and expectations, and good companies are highly competitive.

Once you're in at a good company, you're in though. A guy I used to work with is making around $350k+ without finishing his degree because he worked his butt off in an SDR role for a year or two and keeps getting promoted because he can definitely sell. He had good timing too. However, the vast majority of the successful sales tech reps I know have a degree.