What you do in uni is demonstrate that you're interested in certain things and you have enough work ethic to learn the exam answers. That's all. That might be

What you do in uni is demonstrate that you're interested in certain things and you have enough work ethic to learn the exam answers. That's all. That might be true for you—and others—but it’s not always that way. I use the knowledge I learned in my degree all the time in my work - sometimes directly, sometimes as the foundation on which I can build my understanding of a more domain-specific problem. That knowledge is augmented by the extracurricular I did and my experience working in various roles over the years. I’m pretty sure this isn’t uncommon. I agree that the softer skills of self-directed education, research, writing etc. are important and widely transferable. Plenty of people I know have been successful in careers distinct from their higher education. But I do think it’s a bit reductive to dismiss the value of a deep technical education so easily.