Route

Well, at my previous job, we had a "boss" who was younger than me (and younger than many others), and she started in the same position as everyone else, but she managed to ACHIEVE SUCCESS! (and she was probably earning good money, and the job didn't require a lot of education). This is just to illustrate the point about "others."
As for specialists, yes... a friend of mine recently graduated with a degree in chemistry or something similar and started looking for a job. These new graduates earn twice as much as new graduates in fields like economics, law, and other similar areas.