Yeah, twice. Once for music production, once more for electrical engineering. Both times, I went to college so I could be formally certified in the skill that was taught. I can learn stuff all on my own (this is basically what my PhD will be), but it's nice to be able to point to a transcript (and the implied appeal to authority of the University 😆) and have a body of projects to show that I can do the work. And for electrical engineering, you typically need at least a bachelor's degree to get entry-level work beyond an internship.

as a power plant operator, in my state a degree isn't needed, just licensing.

I have been warned time and time again that getting a PhD is actually bad for my job prospects compared to stopping at a masters degree. Which is definitely true for industry jobs, but my interests are exclusively in original research, and the PhD is fully funded, so 🤷.