Experience Vs Education

[Otto-matic]

I was having this debate with my friend a couple nights ago, in terms of employment what is more valued? Experience Vs Education

Obviously its not a clear cut answer but I was under the impression that experience would have a heaftier percentage in the decision over education, not saying that education means bunk on a resume. I feel like my past employers in interviews would rather look at my job history and experience in the field over what I did in school.

While he thinks its the exact opposite.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

If it's your first job, education.
Anything after that, it's experience.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

If it's your first job, education.
Anything after that, it's experience.

I agree. The company I work for puts much more emphasis on experience for anything that isn't entry level. For myself, I think 95% of what I know about my profession was on-the-job learning.

[GGG]

There are certain minimum educational requirements that jobs require. Provided you meet those requirements education doesnt matter. Relavent Experience is what actual gets you a job.

[burn_this_city]

Experience, education is somewhat overrated except in very specific fields.

[Regular_John]

Experience every time. I've worked with some brilliant folks without high school diplomas, I've also worked with plenty of dumbos with multiple fancy degrees/diplomas.

I'll take the "under educated" experienced folks every time.

[Regorium]

In my opinion, for most jobs there is a minimum education threshold where it actually matters, and then past that, experience would matter.

For example, a standard Calgary engineering job you need a 4 year degree. It doesn't matter if you have 20 years experience with a high school diploma, you're not going to be hired as an engineer without the degree. However, once you meet the minimum requirement, then the value of experience takes over.

For jobs that don't require an education, then experience would absolutely be more important.

However, in some industries, education really does matter. If you graduate from Wharton or HBS, you will absolutely see massive benefits in opportunities available over Haskayne.

Similarly, the opportunities available to you graduating from Harvard Law School compared to graduating from Law at the U of C are drastically different. A top New York law firm would rather hire the best of the best fresh from Harvard Law than the U of C educated lawyer (aside from the country differences, just talking about the "prestige" of the school) with 10 years experience. Education is of prime importance in these highly professional and competitive industries.

So to answer your question, I think it really depends on the industry.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

If it's your first job, education.
Anything after that, it's experience.

Nailed it.

When I screen for an experienced candidate, I don't even bother looking at their education. Doesn't mean anything.

I've worked with some SAIT/College degree holders that were significantly more competent than some that are heavily certified and hold a Masters/Ph.D.

[MelBridgeman]

experience all the way......unless as stated you don't have any

[pylon]

Experience helps, but it can pigeon hole you into a specific field.

I am a pretty good example. I work in Automotive finance and Insurance and it is a pretty specialized field. You have to be able to be a banker, a salesman, an administrator, follow some pretty major legal compliance's, and be a forensic accountant some days trying to figure out major problems on loans. Lots of guys are qualified on paper, but they can't do the selling part when put face to face with a client. I worked my way into it, with zero education, just going up through the ranks, where the typical person in my field usually has some sort of business or finance degree.

Within my field, I would be a pretty coveted property with my experience for another company, but anything outside of it, I am essentially useless, even though there are jobs in Finance that I could easily wrap my head around, excel at, be substantially easier, and dumbed down to what I am doing now. Without a degree though, they wouldn't even grant me the time of day.

Being a major car nut, naturally I generally like what I do, with the exception of having to work some Saturdays. So I have no issues being pigeon holed for the time being. But I have had some people sitting in front of me with finance degrees from Universities, that can't even wrap their head around the most basic principal of finance, the rule of 78s. I wonder how the hell they ever got a degree, let alone a middle management job with a bank. I get computers do it all now, but anyone working in a bank, should be able to calculate annual interest with nothing more than a pen and paper.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

If it's your first job, education.
Anything after that, it's experience.

I always found it to be the other way around. Rather than train someone for the position they would hire someone who had experience or worked in a similar field.

[Temporary_User]

It's not a simple question of is 4 years work experience better than a 4-year bachelors degree.
What about two bachelor degree holders, one decides to work 2 years out of school, the other does a 2 year masters program. There are still many jobs that "require" a masters. Some you can get right out of school with a masters and if you didn't it would take a heck of a lot longer to get into that position without your masters (a bachelors is still required).


If a job doesn't require a degree, but is more of a "nice to have" thing 4 years experience is better than the 4 year degree. But after a certain amount of years that would equal out. Is 9 years work experience that much worse than 13? They are probably equal so in that case the degree holder probably wins out.

Then there are many positions high executive positions that you just cannot get promoted to without any education.


The whole work your way through school cannot happen anymore. School is too expensive to do without family help or loans. So I think we are going to see a lot more people going to school throughout the summer months and finishing their degree a year or so faster.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

The whole work your way through school cannot happen anymore. School is too expensive to do without family help or loans. So I think we are going to see a lot more people going to school throughout the summer months and finishing their degree a year or so faster.

Sure it can. If go to the school in your hometown, live at home, and get summer jobs it's easily doable in Canada.

[Temporary_User]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Sure it can. If go to the school in your hometown, live at home, and get summer jobs it's easily doable in Canada.

Well living at home is family help. Most don't pay for rent, food, and other bills while living at home.
Living at home is not an option for everyone.

Then not everyone lives in a city that has a university, college, or trade school.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

Well living at home is family help. Most don't pay for rent, food, and other bills while living at home.
Living at home is not an option for everyone.

Then not everyone lives in a city that has a university, college, or trade school.

That's a fair point. If you don't have that option it'd be incredibly difficult. Otherwise it can be done.

As for the original debate, Education is key but once that minimum level is checked off, experience is what really sets you apart.

[Bootsy]

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

The whole work your way through school cannot happen anymore. School is too expensive to do without family help or loans. So I think we are going to see a lot more people going to school throughout the summer months and finishing their degree a year or so faster.

I guess it depends where you live but in Alberta that is certainly not true , there are always lots of rig, pipeline, crew trucks etc jobs looking for young grunts over the summer months where a young student could load up on cash, they just have to be willing to do it.

As for experience or education , it for sure depends on the line of work but for the average job I'd say experience would count for more although you can plateau to a certain level....with that said many companies will pay for your education if they want you to get a certain degree to move up, if they like your work.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by Bootsy

I guess it depends where you live but in Alberta that is certainly not true , there are always lots of rig, pipeline, crew trucks etc jobs looking for young grunts over the summer months where a young student could load up on cash, they just have to be willing to do it.

As for experience or education , it for sure depends on the line of work but for the average job I'd say experience would count for more although you can plateau to a certain level....with that said many companies will pay for your education if they want you to get a certain degree to move up, if they like your work.

This. Experience is excellent, but when you get into some higher levels, you may find yourself plateauing with only an undergrad degree.

You'll also find the same type of plateau for an undergrad vs HS grad too in my opinion.

[PaperBagger'14]

In my field of construction (electrical) education means absolutely nothing. I was on the deans list for my graduating class and it doesn't result in me getting more pay per hour. However my experience has allowed me to do service work on some of calgary's most expensive homes, and these service calls pay quite well. No one cares if a deans award winning electrician is wiring in a new plug for them. If you are referring to any blue collar jobs, I would argue that the list of priorities would go

1) Experience
2) Personal Drive
3) Education

[T@T]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Experience every time. I've worked with some brilliant folks without high school diplomas, I've also worked with plenty of dumbos with multiple fancy degrees/diplomas.

I'll take the "under educated" experienced folks every time.

I had a teacher roommate once that I swear must have printed his own masters degree.dumb as a friken stump in everything except....he invested $4000.00 he got from a will into microsoft stocks in 1988 for about 30 cents a share.

Probably living on an island somewhere now retired and couldn't give a crap if he can add 2+2. his bank will do it for him.

[gladaki]

I find people with SAIT degrees are doing much better than with higher university degrees. My friend with PhD in Geoscience is working in starbucks and other guy with IT in Geoscience is working in big oil company.