School was an important invention to raise industrial workers who stick to (written) instructions. Your sales skills are important for a market economy. 100 years ago, 10 manufacturers worked for one salesman. Today, one manufacturer works for 10 salesman (depending on industry).

Formal degrees are an important instrument to reduce risk and to get an average applicant who fits formal requirements. The bigger the company is, the more managers will insist on formal requirements. Hiring a candidate without formal degree may be considered as cronyism - several MPs have been criticized for being university dropouts. If you have a formal degree, nobody can criticize your background.