I know a fair few people here with just good experience in their fields who have gainful employment. I don't know what the OP's "in tech" job means exactly but fine chance they could find work imo. I thought it was a LOT more gate kept than it is. My partner is a scientist and found a job, only with an irrelevant BS and good experience. I know others with the same kind of situation.

Not to say that it's easy, but it's not as impossible as I once thought