Sour grapes--as far as I am concerned, any criticism of someone elses musical success is just sour grapes--

Most of the great songwriters had little or no classical music training, and many of the great composers learned what they knew from informal study and private instruction and working apprenticeships rather than in formal degree programs--

Mozart was a child prodigy--not a lot of time there for struggling up the ladder or paying dues--

In a whole other area, I am told that Lionel Bart used to hum his melodies into a tape recorder--

If you can make up catchy tunes, no one care where you went to school, or how long you studied, and if you can't, a whole stack of degrees won't help--

My advice is to make sure you get composer credit for the melody--