I agree.....the conversation should not be "either/or" it should be "both/and". Certainly, I would prefer to hire someone with both, but I WOULD NOT hire a grad

I agree.....the conversation should not be "either/or" it should be "both/and". Certainly, I would prefer to hire someone with both, but I WOULD NOT hire a grad that cannot prove he can do the work and I WOULD quickly hire someone without a degree who can perform. I would test ability and if I couldn't decided between two candidates, I may take a look to see if you have a degree from a respected school. If you want to be in startups, I have friends that have applied and started jobs without being asked about educational background.