Gonna push back on the bachelor degree note:
According to data just released from LinkedIn, 88% of tech jobs require a 4 year degree, which is higher than almost any other job category in the US. Overwhelmingly you need one.
Of the dozen people I know affected by the layoffs, only the ones without degrees are still without work. In fact two of them have not had a single interview beyond HR phone screen in months of looking, even with 7-10 years experience.
Note also that most of these people don't have CS or other relevant degrees, just degrees at all. Programming now seems to fall under the same rules as other white collar professions.
In fact, it may be the opposite - that huge tech companies are more likely to drop that requirement.
Building a network is absolutely key, people who enjoy working with you remember you and at some point you just become set
Yep, having a sibling working in healthcare who’s having to take classes now so they can keep doing what they’ve been doing. The classes of course have no direct relevance to the job being done.
Which government? That is manifestly not the case at any of the national governments I've worked with. I know engineers that didn't even finish high school that have done business with the US government in almost every employment arrangement possible.
If you're talking about the US government, this isn't true. It is true for certain specific types of contracts, but not most of them.