[user104658]

Well it depends. Some careers, obviously, you can't even start without a degree. Other positions are "graduate only" with any degree. For example, my degree was pretty useless when I graduated and had no practical experience to back it up. I didn't need one to start at the company I'm at now and just learned on the job up to manager. But now that I have management experience too, there are possibilities for moving into other management roles that require both a degree and management experience to even apply, that I couldn't have gotten when I had no experience, but likewise couldn't get now if I didn't have a degree...

Hmmmm.

Basically if I was to apply for one of these positions, I suspect my experience would be my selling point and more relevant to actually doing the job, but having a degree is a prerequisite to applying at all.

Then again, there are a lot of things that have come very easily to me in my current job that others at the same management level struggle with. Writing up reports, spreadsheets and stats, actually understanding how the business and the industry works on a deeper level, even just how to communicate efficiently and professionally. All things I'd been doing for years coming out of University.

Tl;dr it's been useful to me even though my starting position wasn't graduate employment, and even though most people at my level in the company don't have a degree.