How common is employee manipulation in different sub sectors?

Not sure exactly how to phrase this question, so I think it may be best to start with a bit of my story. I have no college degree and I worked in a lower mid-tier PWM firm with a recognizable name as a trainee FA. At this firm from the branch manager level on down to the senior FA/broker I worked under there was just a rampant circus of brazenly lying to me about where I could go with the firm and how I could advance in spite of my lack of credentials etc. It was later revealed to me by management, after I had put in a lot of work and brought in new clients, that I in fact could not advance to anything past being a cold caller monkey and I would never be able to run my own book of clients or anything of the sort, based solely on my lack of college degree. I presume the tale was to keep me in the right mindset to milk as much work out of me as possible until I eventually got fed up with the bullshit and left, thereby leaving them as many new clients and potential clients etc. as possible. I know that even though this is fucked up it is common practice in the PWM industry and has been for a very long time. I've since left the business and am working on something else currently but I am planning to go to college and get at least a bachelor's. I am very passionate about finance and am hopeful of getting into a more analytical type role, but I'm unsure if this was the 'fool me once' go around and if I should even pursue something in the industry. I'm trying to figure out whether or not it's even worth majoring in finance at all if this is all I'm going to run into in my career (the manipulative bullshit). Any insight from people who work in other groups would be greatly appreciated.