Well, what degrees are actually necessary for the work? As in, if you don't have the degree, you cannot be allowed to do the work?
Medicine, law?
Pretty much all other degrees are a thing that you do because it's interesting, and you want to signal your interest in some area. People are trained on the job for the most part. I'm fairly sure I could have jumped into my career from high school, were it not for the social convention that smart kids have to go to university, and thus only graduates can be hired.
The sibling comment is right, btw, it's narrow to think of it as a right-wing talking point. Historically the left thought the same way.
Medicine, law?
Pretty much all other degrees are a thing that you do because it's interesting, and you want to signal your interest in some area. People are trained on the job for the most part. I'm fairly sure I could have jumped into my career from high school, were it not for the social convention that smart kids have to go to university, and thus only graduates can be hired.
The sibling comment is right, btw, it's narrow to think of it as a right-wing talking point. Historically the left thought the same way.