Debate: Are Degrees necessary for being successful?

A degree means nothing - it is just a certificate given by an institution saying you passed the necessary courses/credits.

There are MOOCs where you can do the same courses (and from top notch universities like MIT/Harvard/Stanford!) but there is no degree-awarding done at the end. That does not mean you have not passed the course material. That does not mean you have not learned the material better than a student who took the same course from a university that awards a degree at the end of 4 years.

Awarding a degree is a mere formality. By extension, receiving the degree becomes a mere formality too. If you can teach yourself with the dedication of a person attending a course in a formal environment, it does not matter if you have the "degree" at the end - all that matters is your tangible contribution to the process of studying and proof that you have indeed understood the subject matter included in the course.

Unfortunately, that is not how the world works. And perhaps correctly so - there is no way a company can "judge" if the interviewee has indeed spent time and resources studying what the company finds useful.

*Unless you present a bunch of technical papers/patents/peer reviewed projects/etc.* without a degree, in which case a company that cares for talent might hire you because that is all an employee is supposed to do - add value! But this would still not be enough for a mass recruiter company like *insert your pick here*.

In which case the only *and the best possible* way to value your skill/intelligence is by working for yourself.