Agreed. There's a lot of folks that get very little credit, because they don't have the credentials required by "gatekeepers," or are pretty bad at self-promotion (or both).
People who really enjoy their work, may not care about whether or not they get much credit, don't really care that much about money, and consider self-promotion to be a waste of time, and often, arrogant.
If you start at the bottom, and shoehorn your way in, you get used to keeping your head down, and not pissing off the gatekeepers. Often, helping them to look good, is how you get to play with The Fun Toys.
Amen. Often when out with coworkers for drinks I'll spill 1 or 2 of the amazing experiences I've been a part of and folks are incredulous. As long as I am making enough to live the kind of life I want to provide for my family who cares if I'm middle management or some executive. When I get bored I'll spend 6 months on some new adventure, then go back to my staid boring life in industry. Don't need the headaches that come with becoming an executive or running an independent business.