What does it take to make it?

I have a difficult question. Is education the only way to success? I don't mean education in the cliche way I mean it in the broad perspective. Like education as in training, listening, reading, not just school. Can you get somewhere if your not educated? If your not very knowledgeable can you make it to the top?
I don't know the answer to that, but I do know if you try hard enough you will accomplish the things you set your mind to. I know plenty of people who didn't go to college, but are super successful and make lots of money.
What do you think? Do you think that people will look at you as a leader if you don't really know anything, you just act like you know?
Great example, Hitler. He was off his rocker. He was a huge heroine attic. He thought genocide was the solution to all the problems. He thought if you weren't white then you weren't good enough. He obviously wasn't educated, and he obviously didn't take anytime to listen to anyone else. So why did people listen to him? I will tell you why. He spoke like he knew what he was talking about. He didn't, but he sure did convince people he did. He spoke like he was a leader therefore people listened to him like he was a leader. People believed in his ridiculous ideas because he acted like they would work. You see I believe that most people don't like to think, or make decisions. They don't want to think of problems, they want to try and solve them or put them aside. People need someone outside of the box to try and be a leader. They need someone to think for them and tell them what to do. Who challenges someone who sounds like they know what they are talking about? I mean really. Hitler wrote a book called Mein Kampf, and people have tried to translate it, but they seem to not be able to. They say it doesn't make sense. So who let him lead a country.
I guess if you act like you know what your doing, you can get pretty far. There is a point where hard, true facts come into play, and unless your a good guesser, you would need to know them. I know that if I accomplish anything in my life, I want it to be educated. I want to go out into the world and suck up every piece of information I can. Knowing things seems to feel like it is of importance to me. I want to have an opinion on everything, and I want to sound education when I voice it. I want people to take my suggestions seriously. I want to show whats wrong and right. I want to be smart.