Is a very nice thing to have a degree, but as you said, degree is not the ultimate. I totally agree with your conclusion;

Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not against obtaining an academic degree; after all, it appears the only thing we can boast of. However, I'm simply or unequivocally against an academic degree without sense.
As a matter of fact, algebraic sum of it all is: If you must get an academic degree, becareful not lose your mind to it. In fact, I'd rather you were only informally educated, if that would eventually be the case.