[galoisgirl]

I think people are wrong about what a degree proves.

Sure, it's no 100% guarantee, but it should at least mean you're familiar with the domain enough to find the answers you need.

You said yourself it entails loss of sanity and time - agreed, completing one shows discipline, character, time management skills and enough sanity that you can afford to lose some. Again, it doesn't mean people without a degree don't have these things (self-education can require some of them even more), but that's one way to demonstrate them.

Finally, there's different degrees, mines are from MIMUW so they do prove quite a lot.