No, but a college degree does help. It exposes you to critical thinking, evaluation, and other practical skills. I am sure many non-college grads have these skills, but way take a while to have these instead of being esposed to them right away. Some degrees are not worth the paper they are printed on, and some college grads are not worth the degree that they have received. I am all for self-study, Abraham Lincoln was one example of self-made lawyer without university studies. However, like I told my students in the U.S. "College is not for all of you because you do not need it. But you need to study and learn something be it a trade or a skill." You always need some education and training afterwards, and in the case of China even a T.E.F.L. would be the place to start.