yes.

There are IT and related tech qualifications at the craft level, and also intermediate (tech) level schools.

But they both have in common that they are intellectually less demanding but not faster than an Bachelor
in CS or engineering. And the craftman's qualification is only available full time.

*sigh* Knock knock. Anybody at home. McFly? Repeat after me:

NOT U.S.
Germany.

There is no such thing as an Engineering license around here. The degree is the real thing.
(except in a few historically isolated cases like mining, where the degree is usually complemented by a state organized additional training and exam.)

We stupid Germans used to think our universities were all good enough so the degree directly means qualification. Then came Bologna.....

A few years or decades down the road you might even be right. But not today.

well, I have no idea where you sit. But if it is Germany, you are now ~5 years older than when you started going to University, and you have a degree nobody really knows if its any good (thanks to Bologna). The the tech labor market right now is ok but not nearly as good many folks claim it to be.

If you went full time you spent 5 years hardly earning a dime. And moreover, you probably didn't learn a thing you could not have learned reading a good book or article on the subject. On the other hand, you spent tons of time and energy on stuff you will never ever touch again.

Trust me, been there, done that. I have full masters-equivalent degree in CS from a research university. Yes, it's a good basis when you start. But not something I would suggest you spent 5 years in your forties on.

OTOH, I support your distance ed suggestion. But MSc in CS per distance ed while working normally means either the equivalent of 2 jobs or more for ~5 years, or 7-10 with a less demanding schedule. Both are not very good alternatives.

which is why libertarians tend to end up on ropes or pitchforks when the next revolution comes. We get the "magical treatment" because we are more than you, and we force you to (and that is quite independent of the actual item of discrimination).

You have SO no idea what the working environment in Europe is, especially in Germany. A university degree is the entry card to a very invisible club. I work in a Telco, and that sector has had many lateral recruits in the 90s. One of my colleagues is a journeyman pastry chef. Another one is a licensed railway train driver. We have tons of physicists, electrical engineers, a few engineers of other disciplines, chemicists, a few MBAs, even a Master of Divinity, all doing IT and network engineering work.

Those without a university degree usually don't play in the same level though (exceptions do exist, but are rare). And even among those - Germany has an extensive sub-university education system. Folks with a technical journeyman qualification can easily find a job elsewhere. Those without have a very very hard time. They are chained to their current job - because to the HR dept in another company they are just a guy without papers.

Nice of you to recognize that you (and nearly everybody else) is blowing hot steam.

There is no college in Germany. Until very recently, we didn't even have Bachelor degrees at all. There are full universities and "universities of applied science". (Fachhochschulen). The latter are, in theory, not staffed and equipped for research and cater to a lower qualified student tier, but these days everyone and his dog are offering masters programs under the new Bologna rules, and depending on their motivation and other factors they may or may not do research.

I do assume the OP has the necessary requirements for university attendance (Abitur for universities, "Fachhochschulreife" plus relevant experience for universities of applied science).

The MBA market in Germany has become especially intransparent. Here Bologna has really ruined the educational system. Crappy provincial Fachhochschulen compete with first rate universities offering the same title. Moreover, the MBA is NOT part of the "consecutive" system (where a Master require a Bachelor) but are basically given to everyone who completed the course, whatever its requirements were. There are MBAs that can be had after 2 years of distance learning.

If you want a regular masters degree in Business Administration, otoh, you'll get a M.A. in Business administration. Bologna at its finest.

First - you are right. A degree is substantially more relevant in D than in the US. A tech without a university degree is presumed to play in a lower league. A guy with a degree gets a certain respect from his peers, but can of course loose it. A guy without is assumed to be a simple mind and has to earn peer respect the hard way - up front. In large organizations, people know exactly who has a degree and who doesn't. Funnily, the exact subject of the degeree is less relevant in practice. Anything remotely serious will get you going, even BA (BWL), though that is borderline for techs.

But - having said that - somewhere in your fourties, going back to University is not an option any more. You can basically do 2 things

- a get a cheap part-time degree. With cheap I mean BA or some such (aka BWL). Part time means internet or study-by-mail - Fernuni Hagen comes to mind, but I'm sure there are others.
- accumulate non-academic/professional certifications. If you want to go into project management, there are at least 2 relevant certification bodies. You could mix that with tech vendor certs, or not.

And whatever route you go - start going. Now. Your time has run out, If you want to do project management, start getting into project management roles in large projects now.

well, his twitter feed is the PR equivalent of an ax murderer on a killing rampage.

He has clearly no clue what he is talking about (IP law), and apparently is too emotionally
invested in the matter to even be taken seriously.

That is not going to end well.