[Jach]

I think he might be suggesting that with hiring coders-in-general, it's not necessary that the employer must only hire degree-holders. This is in contrast to hiring an elementary school teacher, where by law the applicant must possess credentials x/y/z even if the school thinks the applicant is fine without those.

[rhizome]

Exactly. There are lots of jobs for which a degree or certification is absolutely required.