It doesn't matter what goes into a PHD process. In the real world you get respect for what you can do not the process by which you obtained skills. As I said the woman I was referring to admitted her students test scores were poor (though she blamed it on external factors)

So I'm absolutely condescending of people who think because they went through a process of any kind they are automatically entitled to respect and high pay. I respect people who prove their worth to society.