Education versus Experience

Recently a discussion rose on one of the HR forums regarding the value of experience over a degree. While it wasn't really a heated discussion, there were endless responses debating the issue. If you take the time to Google "Education versus Experience," you discover a wide variety of thoughts and opinions. Personally, yes, I value a formal education. But, I don't believe that potential candidates should be overlooked during the recruiting process because they lack one!

"College doesn't offer the hands-on experience, and certifications generally cost a bunch of money. Both prove nothing more than a person knows how to take a test, and probably has really good short-term memory. Obviously there's always the possibility that they have a firm understanding of the subject matter, but it seems too subjective to be sure."

"Some companies place a premium on having a lot of workers with graduate degrees - and someone without one may not fit in."

"Education is absolutely important in the sense that it should allow a person to fully extend his or her knowledge to their reasonably maximum potential, then turn that into a successful work experience."

"A lot of education happens outside of school. School is life, and life is school."

"My own experience in college was that people with no real world experience taught me a lot of theories about how things are supposed to work, but there was very little real experience shared. In my work life, I've gotten a far better MBA education from my years of experience solving the real business and marketing challenges that were thrown my way. Some think higher education makes people smarter, and some believe better, than those who didn't attend. But you can get a great education without a formal degree, and when it comes to business, you can usually get a better education by experiencing, firsthand, the challenges of the workplace." Excerpt from the book "Gut Feeling."

So, answer me this. Can experience make up for the lack of degree, or does a degree provide something that experience can't? Is one more valuable than the other? Responses on the forum included:

"Knowledge is lacking if you don't use it."

"It's what you can do with your education, not what your education can do for you that counts."

A degreed individual may have "a solid grasp of the fundamentals, but they have no hands on experience."

The issue is one that continually surfaces in organizations. Oftentimes the requirement of a degree for a position is based on cultural or personal preferences. I have seen where the justification of a degree is based on the "experience" the individual can provide. Huh?

I do disagree, however, with the assumption that an individual with a degree has more credible qualifications or that it's a greater proof of intelligence. I have had the extreme pleasure to work with numerous people over the years that lacked degrees. (One of which was the president of an $80M manufacturing organization that became part of a larger, international organization.) The knowledge, professionalism and motivation that they brought to their roles was extraordinary. I am pleased to say that more and more organizations, during the recruiting process, are beginning to recognize the value of "experience" that candidates can bring into an organization. Experience, not Education.

Granted, there are some roles which should always require a degree and/or an advanced degree. I don't debate that. "There is nothing wrong with requiring a four-year degree if that's what the job requires. But if that requirement is based on a . . personal bias, you are probably missing out on a large pool of job candidates."

In closing, I would like to task each and every employer with the following:

1. When recruiting for a position, take the time to properly identify the requirements of the position, the knowledge and skills that are required.

2. Can the requirements only be obtained through a degree?

3. Can the requirements be acquired through experience?