As an employer, which candidate would you choose to hire out of two equally qualified applicants? Both have impressive credentials, but only one has any prior work experience.
To address this question, there is no obvious winner in the age-old argument between education and experience. There are a lot of folks on both sides of the fence if you perform a random Internet search. A lot of time and effort has gone into the discussion, but it doesn’t appear to be over.
To win their point, those who believe education has no consequence on success continue to cite prominent university dropouts like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, while those who believe education has a significant impact on a person’s employability and wages mention statistic after statistic.
Either education or experience
In other words, knowledge or experience is more valuable. The truth is that a person’s career path might include both of these paths.
There may be situations when someone with experience but no academic credentials is given the advantage, yet this individual can also struggle to develop in their career since they aren’t deemed sufficiently competent. College graduates who have had no previous industry experience may be entirely at sea when it comes to dealing with real-world work problems, even if they have the best education and book smarts.
In reality, it’s not so much a question of education vs. experience as it is education and experience that matter in this situation. Their relationship to a person’s professional development isn’t one of competition, but rather one of cooperation.
With each passing day, the corporate scene becomes more and more competitive. Employers are unwilling or unable to invest large sums of money in the development of raw talent. Talented individuals who have proved their skill are more important to them, and they seek for a full package when they make a hiring decision. So, someone with both a strong educational background and relevant work experience is more likely to be selected.
Isn’t it important to have a good education?
Companies aren’t simply looking to fill a current vacancy, they’re also looking to the future. If you haven’t already shown that you have the ability to advance in your career, you may be passed over in favour of another applicant who has.
Some of your strengths can be demonstrated to them if you have completed an undergraduate degree programme. Graduates from colleges and universities are generally sought after by employers because of their high level of academic achievement, their ability to think critically and analytically as well as their exposure to intellectually stimulating environments.
This is because the person’s accomplishments have shown that he or she can progress up the ranks and be trusted with more important responsibilities, rather than a person with a limited set of skills and abilities.
You can’t just pile up a bunch of fancy degrees on your résumé and expect them to land you a job. Employers want to you to use everything you’ve learned in school and apply it to addressing real-world problems at the office.
What’s the best way to get experience?
It’s no secret that businesses are on the lookout for candidates who have the ideal combination of work experience and education. However, there must be a beginning to the process of learning.
As a recent graduate entering the workforce, you have two options: you can sit around and hope someone will give you your first break, or you can go out and gain some real-world experience before you complete your formal schooling.
Internships, co-op job placements, apprenticeships, freelancing and more are some of the options. In certain academic programmes, practical training is a necessity, while in others, it is up to you.
Gaining an advantage over the competition may be as simple as having a stellar academic record coupled with relevant work experience in your chosen industry.