Experience more important than qualifications

[DreamChaser23]

To think that this is the case in many jobs (2020)?

Before, we heard how if you do well at school, then go to university you will get a good career.

However, as many have found this is not the case. You do need qualifications for certain professions e.g. medicine, dentistry, teaching etc...

But for a lot of jobs experience is more important.

It is also a catch 22 where employers want experience, but many expect you to already have it and are not willing to train you.

Your thoughts?

And often neither is worth as much as mindset. I am currently close to despair overs couple of experienced colleagues who cannot see beyond the current process and therefore don’t understand what they’re doing. Argh! (Both are professionally qualified too).

I have a trade. Mostly, yes experience is more important. However, I worked with a man a few years ago that was self taught and had a few more year's experience than me. Whilst he was generally good at the trade, he had huge gaps in his knowledge and technical vocabulary, and didn't understand why some things had to be done a certain way (or in some cases even that this correct way existed). It often caused small issues or the following trades extra work, but would sometimes cause much bigger problems. He was often oblivious to the problems.
I also did my qualifications alongside men who were just doing the course without any 'on the job' training. They finished their qualifications and also went out into the world scarily under-prepared.
Both experience and study in combination is needed IMO.

I agree with you, though part of experience is knowing the technical or background stuff of what you are doing. And having either or both still doesn't mean you are great at your job, some will have a better affinity for a job than another equally qualified or experienced person.

Being able to apply your qualifications

It depends. I don't have a degree but have worked full time for 30 years. I have oceans of experience, but SOME companies will still automatically strike you for the lack of degree bit. And of course others won't, hence I remain in employment