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Ok we all now that potential employers want the candidates to have good qualifications but also experience.......now does that mean that a person should forgo further education to enter the workforce and gain experience or should they concentrate on their education whilst prolonging the time that they are not workin thus not gaining experience?
I guess it boils down to which is more important? Which do you think matters most Education or experience? :confused:
I think there should be a balance. If someone has been studying for 10 years without any experience out working in the 'real world', I don't think it is as beneficial as having studying say 4 years and working for 6. On the other hand, if someone hasn't studying at all, but somehow managed to get a job, then it would be hard for them to get straight into it. They wouldn't have much background knowledge, so they would have to actually learn while doing their job - which isn't really good. (I really doubt it that they would get a job in the first place with NO study)
To sum up my opinion. Without study, you will get no where. Too much study and you will be without valuable experience. A balance is important - that is why I believe good courses offer job practice (we call it IBL here - Industy Based Learning), where, during your course, you go and actually do work for a big company. I've talked to employees in large IT firms and they all say graduates who come out of their course with 'job experience' have a better chance of getting a position.
Greg
hot_ice covers this well. I did both, and then, both again in reverse. In other words, formal education (courses, college, university and certifications) mixed with on the job experience is a potent match for any person seeking work.
Caveat- it takes personal, professional and financial investment and patience.
You can do it. :)
First and foremost, I think employers would go for the education aspect of things. This prooves to them that a particular candidate has the required ability to apply themselves. Having said that, someone on their first day at a job will be nowhere near as productive as they would be say 2 months later.
Also, research in the UK has prooven that those who goto university earn alot more in their working lives than those who do not....
:)
hot_ice quite explained it... but I gotta throw just a few shells in the fire here.
This discussion hit at just the right time as I am reviewing a couple of resume's for a position in our service department, doesnt sound like much, but I also need this person to give me a hand with administration as well. Okay, so our companies got a bit different layout (youve heard that before... lol). Anyhow, I've talked to 7 people, all of which have massive amounts of education behind them, everything from the typical BS to any tech cert under the sun. I'm calling back one, he has no education at all, but was able to reach in during an interview and point out various problems with a tape library within seconds, even though he had never seen a tape library in his life. He's got three years of experience, and should do fine.
I myself have 8 years of experience in the actual work field, no education (didnt even finish high school) with the exception of an MCSE and an A+ that I tested in without study or classes (didnt get off my butt for those untill last year, venture capital thing I guess). I'm still relatively young in this field, and have noticed that most people with a lot of education cant cut it in the real world with real troubleshooting ability. This is just what I've seen. When I go home, I dont own a TV, and I dont play video games, I must have every o'reilly book on the planet though. and I'm driven to do my best and learn as much as possible. When I'm at work, and someone with a fair amount of education and/or experience asks me how I learned all this, or why I work so hard, I reply "because I have to" I lack the image that certifications and education give a person, whether useful in the field or not... they do help with the image.
This question comes up a lot during my day to day conversations, and I always say the same thing. No matter how many peices of paper you have, or who showed you how to do something, knowledge is useless unless *you* work to understand and expand it. Education is worthless without experience, and if you close your mind to learning from experience (yeah this can happen too...) experience becomes worthless as well. Bottom line, do both!! If you cant put your all into it, find a different field where you can. nuff said!
well my friends ....i do agree u need educatuion ....... but who the hell cares ....all that matters is the experiance,the drive to learn new things,the power the absorb everything you learn ....thats what i call education . I mean i dont understand the reason behind getting degree and certificate...i mean take the examples of hackers ..u dont got u schools or college to learn it ...u learn it by trail and error and then u perfect ur skills ...hmmm agreed its one topic i cant understand ....
I'd say that education is more important.
I've been working as a programmer/consultant for four years now and I have no college education at all. I know my stuff and this has got me quite a good way but I'm now returning to school to get degrees in mathmatics and computer science.
There is really only one reason for this - No matter how much practical experience I have, I always seem to learn new stuff a bit slower than my well-educated collegues because the have a firm foundation in programming theory and math. I know I can go a long way but I'm also sure I can get there faster if I have a better understanding for basic algortihms, compiler theory and what not.
On the other hand, the programmers I've met that are fresh out of college are always morons when they start out. Most of the stuff you learn in school can't be applied straigh off onto the real world. But that's jsut my opinion.
Cheers,
A lot has to do with the individual. Some with higher education are indeed, morons. some without any are the smartest ppl there are. Usually, it seems the other way around is likely though.
These days if you don't have a degree to show....it usually doesn't matter how damn smart you are. I guess it gives employers a sense of security to know an employee has a piece of paper saying he knows his ****.
I'm still more impressed by a keen mind a great attitude and experience. What you have done and can do is better than what you could do or would do. Does this make any sense?
I'll give someone a chance if the position does not absolutely require said degree.
experience and education are important but knowing somebody will give u the extra edge.
I have seen this happen often and in most cases people who were qualified or
more qualified were passed up.
and sometimes just being in the right place at the right time has its rewards.
This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.
experience and education are important but knowing somebody will give u the extra edge.
I have seen this happen often and in most cases people who were qualified or
more qualified were passed up.
and sometimes just being in the right place at the right time has its rewards.
This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.