Thank you so much writing such a detailed response. I concur with a lot of what you said. I too felt that academic papers are usually a bit idealistic for real world applications, but at the same time thought that formal courses would help me build a good foundation of what type of models are there.
I am curious where do you find opportunities to volunteer for AI/ML projects, besides starting them on your own.
The culture at FAANG has been quite similar to how your described your company. Until now I've never felt that degree was even a factor at job and may be it still isn't and what I experienced was just some initial resistance from people for whom this is a very unfamiliar territory.