"I am a walking talking counter-example" A single counter example is not a trend. Your experience is not the entire industry and the tech industry is just a sm

"I am a walking talking counter-example" A single counter example is not a trend. Your experience is not the entire industry and the tech industry is just a small portion of jobs available to college graduates across the nation. Many, many industries care about degrees and how well you did. Just try to get a job at a major law firm without one. I've had friends apply for jobs as AAs and their grades came up. The tech industry is the exception, not the norm. So, grades matter. They just didn't for you.