Quest for learning vs Overqualified

As a person who has cleared the final exams of ICSI/ICMA(Institute of Company Secretaries of India; Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of India) along with Chartered Accountancy, and also PGDM(from IIM Ahmedabad), I sometimes run into this query from others whether I still feel all these qualifications as relevant. Coming from a Tam-Bram household where all learning is valued, my core philosophy is that no investment in learning goes waste. And then, I do see many folks doing CA+CFA, CS+LLB, as also the new kids on the block such as CFP/FRM etc. But does learning need a credential, or is learning for the sake of it also good?

Udemy/Coursera initially started their courses with a free for all approach, before they realized that employers seek verifiable evidence of course completion. They therefore introduced the certification track and in some cases, supervised exams at Pearson centres. That gave employers and stakeholders greater confidence in the academic integrity, and inspired some universities to offer part/full courses on the online model. So even for self driven learning, some employers may seek evidence of completion and hence a credential is born.

But why pursue higher learning in the first place, assuming its not directly related to job? Some people do this to prepare for a step-up, yet others for career change, and others just for accumulating knowledge and a possible Guiness book of records. The last category who do not directly apply their knowledge in work or projects, could be considered overqualified, but others  merely as quest for learning. Here I rest my case