[khetarpal]

Well written, and totally agreed that a degree stamp / piece of paper is not an indicator of the knowledge or passion of the individual.

However, I do know that lack of degree is always weighing heavily on the individual who doesn't have it. This further leads to compensatory behaviour

My 2 cents - I think an individual is better off taking small steps towards getting a degree than justifying it for the rest of their life.

[randomdata]

However, I do know that lack of degree is always weighing heavily on the individual who doesn't have it. This further leads to compensatory behaviour

Care to elaborate? I was unable to obtain my degree, and maybe it is that weighing on me, but it feels like people with degrees spend a inordinate amount of time justifying their accreditation to deal with their own insecurities.

Since I did not have the opportunity to go to college, unlike my friends, I received a lot of ribbing early on about how their are getting their education to get a good job. Once I finally revealed how much I was making, I never heard another word of it.

I never felt the need to make fun of them for going to college though. In fact, I fully supported it. Education is amazing and it truly saddens me that people have to justify it with prospects of future employment opportunities to even justify going.

[khetarpal]

As an engineering manager - I'm all for pursuit of knowledge and excellence. I could care less whether a person has a degree as long as he has the subject matter expertise. Multiple well respected engineers in my group don't have a degree.

I think its really a personal choice. You can get a degree and not have to keep justifying your choice, and how good you are even without it. Or, you can be a strong man and choose to ignore the mainstream perception. Either ways, the knowledge and subject matter-expertise is non-negotiable to succeed.