Depending on the field, this is true. In science/engineering, it is much better to have a degree. Although, you need work experience too, like internships or research at university. Neither are insanely hard to get, as long as you have at least a 2.5 GPA. There will always be exceptions and the science/medical field is a great counter at the entry level. Specifically though, I was referencing fields of craft like computer science/engineering, journalism/english, design/art studies, etc. The guy that contributes frequently on Github, has a better chance then the guy with a great GPA & transcript. This isn't to say a BA is useless, it's just when you're comparing two people with the same BA they're going to cancel each other out.