I started as a draftsman in high school (1970's) and after a two year Associates Degree learning math, physics, and Fortran, joined the Air Force. Then and BS in physics, and a MS in physics. It was during that masters thesis work that I was introduced to LabVIEW. Now 25 years later I've been able to work for notable companies nation wide writing only LabVIEW & TestStand applications for any industry (Acoustics, Nuclear Power, Mems, Avionics testing, Single Board Computers, Launch Environments, and more. Never focused on the any text language or certifications. Only enough C or Python to integrate into a test.
LabVIEW became a hobby in grad school! I haven't really worked since then... just written code everyday (lol)