The college degree worked out for me - I'm doing the kind of work that really fits me, and it helps people as well (bonus). But I tell people (when it comes up) that the degree only matters if it opens the doors you need/want opened. There is one other thing, that used to be true, but probably not so much anymore - some college programs force you to learn things you wouldn't otherwise be interested in, that are actually important in doing a job well. It's not about not hiding secrets no one learns otherwise - anyone can learn what they need to know for many jobs completely outside of college. Unfortunately, too many people don't pay attention to the things they aren't interested in, and won't bother to learn things outside of their primary area of interest.

I say that because I find myself pointing out things to people who should know them, or should have given consideration to them. For instance, when doing precision work, check thermal expansion for small temperature changes. If a 5* temperature shift eats up most of the tolerance, and temp variances on the production floor are greater than that, find a different material to work with - not a piece of scrap in the shop. I should not have to point that out, repeatedly. For some reason, word doesn't get around on that one...