A college degree is useful, but it will also help you to get your foot in the door. Lots of places will not even look at you, regardless of experience, without one. It's stupid, but that's the way it is.

One thing that I have a minor quibble with is the staying "broad" rather than "deep". Initially in your DBA career: yes, stay broad. But you may find yourself liking a particular specialty and would like to focus on that. As long as you're reasonably broad, go for it! But keep in mind that it can limit your employment mobility.

One thing that I would suggest is that early in your career, don't stay in the same job more than 3-5 years. Move around in different industries to get more experience. Once you have 10-15 years in, find a place to settle and work out your retirement, and who knows, it might be somewhere that you've already worked. Take whatever retirement earnings/savings that you've made and be VERY CAREFUL to properly roll them over into qualified retirement accounts so that you have something to show with your savings and you don't get whacked with a whoppin' big tax bill.