The meaning of success can differ from one person to another. It is a subjective topic. Some people find success through their academic growth while others find it in their jobs or businesses.
A skilled individual who is at his peak of his career may not feel successful enough just because he couldn’t have the academic background that he had long desired. This could stem from his personal life and obligations that proved far more important than his education. From my own experience, an example that I would like to give is of a contractor. He was completely fulfilled financially having been done various kinds of high budget national projects. Moreover he was more technically sound than the engineers who were working in the projects. But he would frequently lament about how he would have achieved even more if he had a university degree.
In contrast, a highly educated man could feel the same if he is not able to tap into the practicality of his knowledge. This lack of real world experience may lead to the individual’s thought that he has not fully utilized his capabilities. Also from my personal experience, I would like to talk about my school friend who studied Computer Engineer and has already completed his Masters earlier than I completed my Bachelors. After spending a year writing a research article, he concluded that this was not it and he felt that real world experience was missing. So, after that he started working in his industry and now is able to use his knowledge and skill that he gained through out his academic year.
Personally, I gravitate towards the notion that I can be successful through my academic growth. But initially I also thought that my success would stem from my career path. But working in different companies did not satisfy me in terms of my growth. I believe higher the education background someone has, higher their intellectual capacity and reputation in the society.