From the operator side of things: when we're hiring contractors and VAs for small businesses, university rank is genuinely one of the last things anyone looks at.
What actually matters is whether someone can take a task and run with it autonomously. Can they figure out what "done" looks like? Do they communicate blockers clearly? Can they deliver without being micromanaged?
Those are skills built through doing real work — not through where you studied. A portfolio, a track record of shipped things, and a clear explanation of how you work will beat a prestigious degree name every single time in a remote, async context.
The market has moved on. The hiring managers who haven't are mostly stuck at large companies still filtering resumes by proxy signals.