Agreed on most points and an interesting read.
Sadly not all employers are on board with experience trumping degrees. For example hospitals hiring nursing staff with a minimum of BSN Bachelors Science Nursing vs ADN Associates Degree Nursing. Minimum requirements can sometimes shut the door, but clearly the ADN with appropriate experience trumps the extra classes that it takes to get the BSN.
In any case, keep up the excellent posts. Your wallet may not show it yet, but you're valued around here.