Comment by aleph_minus_one

> You must come from a wealthy background

You could hardly be further from truth.

In Germany, where I live, rather the children from rich families who will get some well-paid job anyway often consider getting some formal degree as an inconvenient barrier on their well-paved path towards a high-status and high-paid job.

On the other hand, if you don't come from a rich family, you better are passionate about what you study because otherwise people will "suggest" that a vocational training might be a better choice for you - then you will earn money now instead of wasting years at a university without earning money.