in line with what axod mentions: as a young field, software engineering is still pretty meritocratic. That is, the only standard a software engineer is held up to is if his code gets the job done. All fields start off this way, but over time formal institutions grow up around them. Eventually, just as there is an American Psychological Association, I expect there to be an American Software Association. When this happens it tends to create new ways in which you can be successful in the field. Just as not all (or even most) of the members of the American Psychological Association are good practicing psychologists.