Most people had seen it for what it really is long before that
I did an apprenticeship instead and most places I've worked at so far actually preferred that over a degree.
I'm in Germany though, so that's probably not all too relevant for you.
I work as a code monkey and make decent enough money. When I first told my father in law about my job, he kept saying that I really should get a degree and try to climb the ranks. I kept telling him that I don't care about that and that I'm happy with what I have, but he just couldn't comprehend that.
Showing up with molotov cocktails sounds even better