And yet, in your software example those companies overwhelming rely on degrees to credentialize candidates regardless of actual skill.
Licensing is merely a subset of the larger credentialing world. Even in your doctor example, the license is not the issue - board certification of a specialty would be the issue.
It does. Licensing has nothing to do with your credentials past having them. The state bar doesn't care which lawschool you went to, your LSAT score, your GPA, etc.
My point? That credentials are separate from the license and aren't part of the same thing. That's why many professions don't have licensing. They serve completely different purposes.
I did look up the definitions and they don't support your argument
License: a permit from an authority to own or use something, do a particular thing, or carry on a trade
Credential: a qualification, achievement, personal quality, or aspect of a person's background, typically when used to indicate that they are suitable for something.
Sure, you can characterize the license as an achievement. But it's really just a license.
Licensing is merely a subset of the larger credentialing world. Even in your doctor example, the license is not the issue - board certification of a specialty would be the issue.