The most important signal of a degree is a written proof that a person somehow managed to show up to something for a longer timespan without being physically fo

The most important signal of a degree is a written proof that a person somehow managed to show up to something for a longer timespan without being physically forced to constantly. Basically a minimum baseline of reliability and self-organization. The reality is _a lot_ of applicants without any proof like that don't last long and thus wasting lots of company resources (including rehiring). Of course there are many very great folks without a degree and also a lot of idiots with a degree, but I learned to trust that heuristic until a strong signal otherwise pops up.