[rebootthesystem]

I'll take someone without a CS degree and an intense rabid desire to solve problems way beyond their current capabilities any day over a pedantic PhD who can't be bothered to even put together Ikea furniture. Yes, I know a couple. They are useless.

Attitude and approach is far more important than knowledge. The latter can be gained in many ways. The former comes from childhood and, generally speaking, is hard to reprogram.

[rdiddly]

What you're describing is an engineering mindset, or engineering talent. That translates into value in many different domains of knowledge.