College and grad school were huge confidence builders for me. I was decidedly average in every way in high school, and in college I excelled. I had two papers that won awards and I was in Phi Beta Kappa which was a pretty cool induction ceremony. I felt smart
For grad school, I got a full fellowship and it was the coolest two years of my life. I love being a student. But it didn't make sense to continue on after getting my master's degree. So for me school was about exploring different interests, building confidence, learning critical thinking and writing skills. Time management too. I do think the biggest skill I learned in grad school was public speaking. We had to do a lot of presentations and it was great to get practice in a low stakes environment of a classroom.
All of the jobs I have been interested in since grad school have been master's degree required or preferred. So I think it's been a huge deal to have it on my resume.