It is true that academic degrees rule the world in terms of simple prestige. I have an engineering degree from a good college as well as minors in two other fields and a variety of instructor certs. Am I very smart? No, a little above average. I think about how my PhD students fly crappy ILSes and get multiple dots out of slope whenever I feel bad about myself. My father has two PhDs and the fool cannot tie his shoes without getting crossed. Look to academics as proof of struggle. We should judge ourselves on a more short term basis.