Of course it's possible that there are competent data scientists without graduate degrees; the parent was simply suggesting possible reasons why you might have

Of course it's possible that there are competent data scientists without graduate degrees; the parent was simply suggesting possible reasons why you might have been passed over for those positions, such as positioning your previous positions as more engineering-focused and less research-focused. I doubt the intent was to "gatekeep" you, but to give you suggestions on how to improve your search in the future. This is a grossly defensive overreaction to the parent reply.