May I draw a personal analogy here.
I have a degree in Physics and worked in research for a year before I left to become a Chartered Accountant. The accountancy firm for whom I worked (one of the Top 4 now) specifically did not want people with Accountancy degrees.
The reasons were two-fold. Firstly, those with the Accountancy degrees had a fair amount of theoretical (very theoretical!!) knowledge which was of little use in the workplace and also had pre-conceived ideas of how things should be done without having the practical experience of being in the workplace.
Secondly, they preferred to ahve graduate recruits who knew something else other than figures - it might indicate that they have some outside interests, a life and, more importantly could bring some specialist knowledge to the firm. In my case, I was always sent on the stocktakes for any scientific/electronics companies as I knew a transistor from a capacitor.
So, I think potkettleblack has some valid points and my personal experience, although not in the field of aviation in this contaxt, might bear that out.
As a helicopter pilot studying for CPL, things are very different anyway!
Cheers
Whirls