Unfortunately, sometimes to get to the manager you have to get past the HR first. And they have a degree on the list of requirements, and if you don't have it, your resume can be round-filed. They know jack about the work and can't really judge experience.
Seems to be pretty much how it works outside of IT...
I wouldn't have gotten hired as a park ranger without my bachelors degree. Did I actually
use the degree, despite being required? No, it was all OTJ training and experience that ruled the day in that. I also witnessed many of my coworkers (who had been hired on as "temporary" assistant rangers and gained several years of experience) always get passed over for the entry level slots as a permanent employee because they did not have degrees, but a fresh out of school, no experience at all noob would get that job. It's a screwed up system, and it needs to be fixed.
Even some of the trades are getting bad about it. You gotta go to school to break into some of this stuff, despite not actually learning much in school other than the basics.