content: This is only true if you can prove via work experience that you meet a company's requirements when looking for a job.  Trying to get your foot in without a 4 year degree is next to impossible for most places.    I don't disagree that the requirement is useless most of the time, but it still makes a big difference if you have a degree or you don't.  Tying to go around this leads you to the Catch-22 of jobs requiring years of experience but you can't get that experience until somebody hires you.   A degree will get you the opportunity to gain that experience.  As /u/William_Wallace mentioned, an apprenticeship is a better approach to meeting these requirements, but our education system is so forced that it's rarely tried.