in big companies, degree helps, especially a MBA degree for a non-technical position.

in small companies or technical job, the examples around me are opposite. experiences are more important.

Sorry, I didn't mean hitech companies or positions related to CS. I meant in general.

For example, I am working in a bio tech company and I am in a non technical and non science position. My boss has a MBA degree and he moved up from a entry-level assistant position to a senior manager position in 4.5 years. Of course he put a lot into the job too. The director of my group also has a MBA degree. I can definitely see how the MBA degree helps them climb the corporate ladder and build credibility at work. On the other hand, hard working and good political skills are important factors too.

For high tech companies or IT positions, that's true technical skills and experiences are more important. I see examples of people aroumd me too.

I am working at a education group in the corporate office. In the corporate office, I see two types of people sitting in the higher level positions.

One is type of people with extensive experiences in the industry, like 20-30 years experience in the same job function in the industry. Of course most them are in the 50s and with only a bachelor degree. Many director level of people in the corporate office are those type of people.

The other type is the ones with MBA degree and has less experiences in the job function. Like my boss, he was a lab technician for 12 years after the college. Then he finished his MBA and started from the entry level trainer position in my group. 4.5 years later, he is the senior manager of the group now. The direcotr of my group has a similar experience as my boss. MBA helped them open another door in the career.