Again, your personal experience does not extrapolate well to the world at large. This is demonstrated by the fact that it doesn't correlate with statistical evi

Again, your personal experience does not extrapolate well to the world at large. This is demonstrated by the fact that it doesn't correlate with statistical evidence. I don't know why this is so difficult for people (even smart people) to see. You're comparing a desirable degree vs. a low-tier degree in the context of your company and hiring process. That might mean the world to you, but it's irrelevant to determining whether a low-tier degree has value. Compare low-tier graduates to non-graduates in the economy at large. People holding no degree are vastly more likely to be unemployed or hold a minimum wage, manual labor job. People holding a degree (even a lower tier degree), are much more likely than the no-degree group to have a more desirable job that pays relatively well. There may be many factors explaining why this disparity exists. But certainly one reason is that many companies currently require an applicant have a college degree even for non-desirable entry-level jobs. If you don't have a degree, you're not even getting your foot in the door. This practice probably makes little sense, but it's the way things currently are, and why holding a low-tier degree is much better than the alternative of holding no degree for most people.