Ok nice examples but, say i was up for an interview with you, and i had all the things you mentioned "good background, self-teaching and proven skills, perhaps some certificates to prove some skills, good common sense and ability to learn fast" and a bachelors of science in information technology from U of P, would you hire me.
Yes. If you were qualified for the position, I wouldn't take the UoP degree into account at all. It would mean very little to me and you wouldn't have needed to waste your money or time on getting it.
However, if our organizational structure required that position to be held by someone with X degree, and you were qualified for the position anyway, I could justify to my superiors hiring you if you had that UoP degree.
But, as squeak eloquently stated, if I had 10 applications on my desk, all with similar experience and skill-sets but all but 1 had degrees from UoP and the 1 person had a degree from University of , there is little doubt that the "real" degree-holder would get the position, assuming they wanted to work for us, and 9 people who wasted money and time at UoP would be back pounding the pavement for a job.
I hate to say it, but for any position worth having, you will have competition. And, most of the time, the competition will be better prepared than just having experience, interest, cert's, and UoP (type) degree in their pocket.
Here's a suggestion. If you can't do the formal education route, you can always start a little lower on the totem pole and work your way into the position you want. Often (almost always) a good company will provide internal and 3rd party education for their employees, especially those who have proven themselves as assets, to groom them for higher-profile positions.
