... and here are my 10 Lego sets that will substitute an Engineering Degree!
Degrees are not just about the literal content. They are three/four/five/ years of intense experience in a play pen where highly skilled people correct your every move and thoughts guiding you toward a greater understanding.
I agree with your sentiment, however I note that the element of "intense experience in a play pen where highly skilled people correct your every move and thoughts guiding you toward a greater understanding" is very, very institution, department, and professor-dependent.
In my experience, it's more peer-dependent. In practice, I barely interact professors, TAs, or "the department". All of my [school] learning has been through grinding through psets, projects, or intellectual discussions with friends.
Fair enough. But I think we're in violent agreement on this: A degree problem can be a lot more than what's between the covers of the books, but that is not always the case.
Degrees are not just about the literal content. They are three/four/five/ years of intense experience in a play pen where highly skilled people correct your every move and thoughts guiding you toward a greater understanding.