Accountants, lawyers, and doctors have very specific licensing requirements.
That doesn’t mean that the only possible way to gain the knowledge is higher education, just that higher education is the only way to gain the necessary licenses.
Self-teaching and apprenticeships can be used to gain just about any knowledge or skill. That knowledge could be used to pass certification tests like the bar exams. That society could choose not to recognize that knowledge or proficiency because of the way it was gained is a separate issue and says nothing about the competency of the individual.
Are you an actual accountant? Because I am and I could not disagree with you more.
In fact, there IS a big difference in potential, in general, depending on how competitive of a school you go to.
Also, in the US, in order to even sit for the CPA, you have to have done an extensive amount of college level course work in certain subjects.
I would rather pay to become an apprentice rather than end up spending tons of time in school and not getting any real hands on experience. Experience is also a requirement and too many years are misspent in the schoolroom and not in the clinic or office where experience can be gained through volunteering.