I think it shouldn't. It's simply used as a heuristic or a comparison against actual degrees. If you know what you want to build and can optimize a curriculum

I think it shouldn't. It's simply used as a heuristic or a comparison against actual degrees. If you know what you want to build and can optimize a curriculum towards it, then go for it. For people that just want "fundamental knowledge" in a field. Knowing that they spend about 5% of their life on it, is probably a way of feeling that they have spent enough time on it.