A degree and professional contacts help get your foot in the door of your first IT job, but it's really resourcefulness, adaptability, and resolve that are essential for your success. If you don't have those three things, then you'll still be busing tables at a restaurant and paying off your student loan debt at the age of 35.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho