If you ignore corporate and social propaganda it tones the difficulty down a bit by having the right mindset.
I've only been an employee at the start of my adult life for 3 years at a small software outsourcing agency. Been gaining a steady 20x the median salary for my city for the past 12 years since I've abandoned "employment". Can't say I'm particulary smart. I'm closer to Dumb and Dumber than Rainman. I just ignore opinions of other people or entities and go my own way.
Just don't get yourself in such a situation and you'll do fine :)