Surely the better the degree the better the portfolio? Unless your degree is soley based on written work... which hardly any creative degrees are.
The only reason I didnt get a 1st was because I didn't give a crap about the dissertation and basically waffled for however many thousands of words I was meant to have written...
I didnt go to uni to get a 1st, I went so I could get a good portfolio of work, which would in turn get me a job. Now im in the industry, my portfolio is better and that will in turn get me an even better job.
Hopefully a pay rise to something like 5p an hour aswell... i cant wait!!