Most of the work done in the world does **not** require a college degree. Even being President of the United States of American does **not** require a college education. There are many still alive who remember Harry S Truman.
Suggestion: Employers could use SAT and ACT scores and internships to identify bright, teachable, and energetic employees.
Most jobs are learned on the job. Historically, nearly all the work done in the U.S. simply required no more than sound mastery of literacy and numeracy to the 8th grade level. ( No, algebra isn't used by many.) My grandmother who was born in 1894 would find it laughable that it now requires a B.S. or M.B.A. to be an events planner at a good hotel.
I teach computer science. And, yes, SOME people without a degree are successful programmers/software engineers. However, the vast majority of students are not that motivated. Learning to program well requires a tremendous amount of work and they need someone to guide them though the process. If left to their own devices, most self described “hackers” will just end up playing video games (I’ve witnessed this first hand).
With regard to my discipline, there are a dizzying number of free online courses and tutorials available. Most of these are incredibly under utilized. The free, online courses especially have a dismal record. Many times, less than 10% of those who start actually finish. There also also 2-4 week programming boot camps, but I don’t really trust those as good sources.
And here is a dirty little secret about employers: they don’t want to be educators. Almost all employers want people who are ready to be productive from day one (or with a minimum of training). So, they look for college grads who have a degree in computer science, as it proves some ability. Increasingly, they will ALSO ask for other proof of ability (like demo programs or documented participation in open source projects). If these are impressive enough, they CAN substitute for the college degree. I can’t entirely blame them, as educating workers adds to overhead. This is a definite change from 40-50 years ago, but it is what it is.
BTW—Good programmers without a CS degree often have a music background. Many musicians have an aptitude for programming.
Using college degrees to sort out qualifications is easily understood and effective insurance against being sued.