Education Versus Experience (What Is Right For You?)

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death"

-Albert Einstein

In my time as a student, I have of course done my research, and have found a noble topic: is education more important than experience?

Better yet, would you be prepared to honestly differentiate the two?

At one point in history, a "prodigy" would mean the lender of hands to the higher authority. It comes from the Latin word: "prodigium," which actually means:

"An omen or a sign of something to come."

Yeah, what?

History's Setting & Prodigies

Before we get into the nit-and-grit of the discussion, a bit of history. When we started out, back in the 1500s and 1600s, a trade was learned through just experience.

The education came from "doing" rather than learning.

That shoemaker would teach the prodigy (usually a child) how to weld or lace a shoe, and so on. Sorry, I really do not know much about shoes…

…but I do know this: there was education found in working with an experienced mentor, who could later pass on the knowledge (and, essentially, the service) to yet another prodigy.

And so the cycle continued.

Then, Education Began In 1636

Did you know that the first official "school" or college was founded in 1636? They called it something you may be familiar with: "Harvard." Bet you did not see that coming.

This was the dawn of a new age. Education shifted from the merits of prodigies to higher education, and though at the time the curriculums were limited, it became an official "thing" with the dawn of Harvard University, where an elitist group were entered as "prodigies."

But this is not a history lesson.

I simply felt compelled to bring up this point to make yet another: is education the same as experience? Is it better, worse, or in-between? We will examine this in today's challenge!

Education Versus Experience

An article by Annie Mueller found that there are a few simplistic factors to consider when comparing education with experience. One is simply stated as such:

if you have succeeded in college, you have only succeeded in academia.

"Obtaining a higher education only proves you can succeed in academia..."

- Annie Mueller

The Wholehearted Example

I am a member of an Honors Society at Florida International University called Psi Chi. Psi Chi is the national Honors Society of the American Psychological Association.

I have seen students with 4.5 GPAs, double-majors, and the like fail to get into a Graduate program. I have seen how much time is spent on ancillary work...

…only to find that 500 others are applying for the same Graduate programs, and in Psychology, without a Graduate degree, you can simply call yourself a Social Worker.

Or, a dolphin trainer.

Advice For Experience Versus Education

I have found my presence on the WhatsApp chat group only insinuates arrogance to them, but I have to keep reminding myself that these are youngsters.

Me? I'm 33 and in college. Go figure.

You see, my point with the above example is simplistic in nature yet complex in act: you can do great in school, but that does not mean you have the experience to succeed.

An example is my own program. I have a 3.6 GPA, belong to multiple Honors Societies, and when I applied for my Masters program, I was accepted based not on education...

…but based on a resume.

Thus, Academia Is Dick (Maybe Not?)

So, this does not mean education is without merit. 4 million students graduated from college between 2020-2021, and yet when we look at the facts, what does this mean?

Simple: it means that they graduated. That is really all it means.

I am not saying devoid yourself of an education. A lot of positions and career paths depend solely on the degree...well, except for Marketing.

As a Marketing major, I was accepted into my program not based on my GPA, nor my personal statement (which was filmed using a teleprompter, go figure).

It was my resume.

The Ever-Lasting Question Of COVID Shutdowns

The ever-lasting question we have to face today, and with COVID having shut down roughly 46 percent of small businesses when it began, 540,000 new ones opened.

If you prose the web like I do, I am already preparing for my career after the degree is awarded. I have seen that jobs such as Marketing Manager require no education.

Right?! What the heck?!

However, the two go hand-in-hand, in my wholehearted opinion. We see that education is required not for the sake of a degree, but rather, the sole knowledge of it.

Education Versus Experience In Any Industry

Now, take Psychology as another example. For a Psychologist to find a willing career (outside of Coaching or Consulting), one must obtain a PhD.

If you live in Nevada, you are in the only state that takes a Masters for practice.

This is an example where, unfortunately, you have to learn and do at the same time.

Psychology is a career unlike any other. It requires hard work, dedication, and a rate of competition that has climbed by almost half of what it once was.

Nursing is another field where Bachelor's degrees are now required. Screw how well you can insert an IV. If you are in Nursing, you need a Bachelor's!

But what about other industries? What about Marketing? What about Business?

You see, when I used to browse Indeed during my yearly crisis (i.e. once a year I apply for jobs, just to see if I can get one), an MS or MBA was required for a Marketing career.

Just one year ago, I found that almost 80 percent require only work experience. So, does this mean that the idea of going into a field such as this is without merit in education?

This Is A Catch-Twenty-Two

You see, you can have all of the work experience in the world, but many jobs do require a degree; many jobs do require work experience...and that is the problem.

Most new graduates (in any industry) are competing with other applicants, typically 200-250 people by the end of the application period. Out of those 200-250 people, 10 will nail a job interview. Out of those 10, one will get a job, and the rest will have wasted their time.

But how do you find a career if you did not learn from education?

That is the entirety of the point at-hand: experience and education go hand-in-hand.

Learn By Doing, Learn By Learning

Education is a must-have commodity in today's society. Without it, we are no better than our 1600s-bound brethren. But take into consideration the dangers of experience alone.

The best example is LinkedIn Job listings.

Though they rarely list a salary, they do show you how you stack up against other applicants. And guess what? Majority that I look at in my hopeful venture as a Marketing Manager do not require a degree (not even a Bachelor's)…but here's the thing:

20-30 percent of the applicants have a Masters degree.

So, can I get this particular position, roughly-speaking, without a Masters degree? Probably, but why risk it? If you are looking to enter a field, and you have no educational background, remember that though the job listing may not require a degree, you want one.

Learning Is Essential To Experience

Make sure you are attending college or continuing education at a young age, but there are ways around that. First and foremost, a degree is not optional.

It is just secondary these days. How many people do you meet with a Bachelor's? It is estimates at 37.9 percent of the U.S. population. Less than 10 percent have a Masters.

Check Job Listings For Requirements

So, some tender advice. Check the job listings before you lunge into student debt.

I already owe $40,000 and that was just for my Bachelor's. I will owe $100,000 after I complete my Masters degree, and if I pursue a PhD, I would owe a lot more.

So, check the requirements. The most important thing is the ability to grasp not only their requirements, but rather, the tasks they will want you to do.

Can you perform at a job requiring Google AdWords certification? Sometimes, but you are trusting the bottom of the barrel of jobs if they are not asking for a degree.

So, go get certified.

Can you perform a job requiring financial literacy without a degree? Yes, but unless you have experience on that resume of yours (and here is the grand finale!), why bother apply?

Continuing Education In A Changing World

You see, the job market is changing. Education is changing, too. My Masters program certifies me in AdWords, AdSense, and Lean Six Sigma.

You do not have to understand those terms, but you may have heard of them. If you want to stand a chance in a crowded job market, especially with the risk of 540,000 new small businesses opening in 2021-2022 alone (read on for more information), be careful.

If the job requires no experience...well, as the saying goes:

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Furthermore, though you may see no requirements for a degree, or find that your resume matches their need and dictations, you have to consider something I call the Shadow Effect.

The Shadow Effect And What This Means

This is my own term, coined and trademarked (just kidding!), but whether it exists or not, put yourself into the shoes of a recruiter. Would they choose the charming, experienced individual over someone with no experience except for a degree?

This is a catch 22, but according to sources, and in accordance with Rachel Pedda:

"Employers also admit that possessing a college degree does not guarantee that a candidate will be any better at the job than someone without a degree" - R Pedda

So, we are left at a stalemate. Do we choose experience over education? My personal opinion is that, yes, you can apply for a job without even a Bachelor's degree these days.

But as an example, in 2020 a publication under the Bureau Of Labor Statistics compared the median salary between a Business-oriented position with a Bachelor's in comparison to one with a Graduate level degree. The salary went from $58,000 to $84,000.

The Money Is In College

Yes, there is a fundamental debate that college "costs money," and yes, it does. But if you put in the work, and end up owing even $50,000 in student loans, you can quite literally pay that off in five years if you put in 20 percent of your salary to debt, i.e. loans.

You can do the math yourself.

So, yes and no, education is important. So is experience. This is truly a question that has haunted recruiters for almost a decade, as less and less people are putting up with college.

But if you can learn from your degree (and to look at it in that light: that you are not doing it for a degree but rather, the knowledge), you can then apply that to your resume.

This leads to a $30,000 increase in your salary.

Final Summary Of Which Is Better

I hate to end us here, so I will see if I have a Part II in me.

Forgive this 90 Day Content Challenge article, as I have to worry about getting my Financial Aid straightened out; I have to order books...

...and that is the point I am trying to emphasize. Even though I have a resume of endless possibilities, that degree means something to me more than just the job after.

In the end, education and experience work hand-in-hand, and I will see you tomorrow!

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