In my opinion and experience, each stage of education is just a stepping stone to the next.
You need good GCSE's to get onto your A-levels, then they become irrelevant almost.
You get good A-levels to get into a good uni, then no one asks what a-levels you got.
Your told to get a good degree to get a job, and once in it and have job experience, the relevance of your degree dissipates.
Once your out in the real world, your GCSE's/A-Levels/Degree are nothing more than slightly relevant.
In my industry you need qualiications like CeMAP & Cefa, which I have, and if I ever needed an employed job, they would ask i I had these to merely tick the 'qualification' box. But that alone would get me no where. My ten years of industry experience and being a successful (imo) selfstarter in a crumbling industry would see me through. I'd hope!! lol
There seems to be a culture whereby people think that a degree means the world owes them a living!
I have a friend who got 10 A* GCSE's, 4 A grade A-levels, turned down Cambridge, Got a first from Birmingham Uni, and now earns £40k a year.
I have another who let school at 15 before taking his exams. We used to laugh at him and his '@*!#' labouring job, working 12 hour days for £100 a week. He now runs a national construction company and lives in a £1m house, go figure!