Consider a scenario where X and Y are two different individuals that applied for the same job. Both have had a great interview, but X possesses a 15-year work experience under his belt with no higher educational degree, while Y is a fresh graduate with a college degree with no experience. Who will get the job?
The answer is – there are several factors that needed to be contemplated in order to give an apt reply for the same. In this article, we will be discussing such factors in brief.
What the statistics demonstrate is that 36% of the American population aged 25 or above has possessed a college degree in the year 2019.
Before moving on to discuss the factors that determine what is more important: experience or education, let’s discuss the role of much-valuable professional certifications that help you land a job in either cases.
Effectiveness of Professional Credentials in Context of Job-Readiness
Credentialing companies, across the world, have gained immense traction in the last couple of years, given the impressive ROI they have delivered in terms of assisting people in bagging jobs, and secure work promotions.
Industry credentialing has become a thing in the recent past with more recruiters across industries, shortlisting certified candidates for the job roles on offer. Credentialing solutions help gain industry-specific knowledge and skillset, which is the primary demand of recruiters, and talent-management professionals.
Whether, you are a high-school diploma holder, or a college graduate, global credentialing certifications, on top of your educational credentials, will make your journey easier in context of bagging your dream job.
Education vs Experience: Factors That Determine The Relevance of the Two
Industry You Choose to Work Into
The career field you choose, primarily determines, what will prove to be more relevant – education or experience. There exist some career field where work experience overpowers education, and vice-versa. For instance, in sales, an individual with a track record showcasing specific number of dollars been brought into the company will be preferred over a person with an impressive college degree.
Similarly, in the technology sector, a fresh college graduate who has studied the latest technological advancements and the related concepts, will be preferred over a person with a big experience in the field. In the vocational work, such as construction, an experienced individual will be valued over a highly-educated person, for obvious reasons. The career choice dictates what will value more, education or experience.
The Repute
Not every business school, or university, is equally reputed or renowned on a global landscape. A degree earned while being at a top college or university will simply open the doors for you to get your dream job with ease. While, on the contrary, the same degree earned from an educational institute of lesser repute might not lead to immediate success.
Have you acquired your degree while working full-time? If yes, then it will get a tag attached on you of being a hard and sincere worker who is ready to make sacrifices. This reputation also gets transported to the interview room while you apply for a job role.
When it comes to gaining work experience, your reputation matters in the similar manner as that of an educational college. It’s not about sitting for a specific number of hours at the workplace, it’s about how good of a work you do, the quality of work matters, as it creates your repute. How do you aid in reaching the company its bottom line, that’s what eventually matters?
Company Policies
Consider an employee in a company having 15 years of experience is applying for an IJP (Internal Job Posting), to secure an internal promotion for which he is well-qualified, given the credible work experience he holds. However, the job position may go to someone fresh out of college having an impressive higher educational degree.
Why?
Because, as per the company policy, educational credentials are preferred over considerable experience. One simply cannot do anything about it.
The experienced employee, was ideally, a better choice for the IJP on offer, but not having the required educational credentials can keep a person at the same job position for years without a work promotion at such kind of an organization.
When it’s about education vs experience, there is no definite winner. It depends on innumerable factors, what will benefit you more at the end of the
