Education vs Experience. Which is more valuable to employers?
I have over 20 years of experience leading Soldiers and thought that experience alone can land me a high paying job after military service. When I started to look for my second career after retirement, I quickly realized that the jobs I wanted, even those ones that I was already doing in the military, required a degree to even apply for.
I would have to say that most companies, unless you know someone that can help you to get in then it would rest upon the knowledge (the degree) that you have plus the experience you already have. The knowledge would help you show them that the company will not have to invest much in training because you have some knowledge of what needs to be done. Two, you will be able to tell them what you can bring in to the success of the company with your newly acquired knowledge. With your experience then you will be more valuable because you bring in product knowledge, more experience to deal with scenarios and you can maybe brainstorm to make things better.
John,
Many people are discovering the same prospect. Having a degree send the message that you chose to educate yourself and have the dedication to complete what you desired.
Patty Aronoff
Veronica,
The changing face of recruitment is more of what can you do for me and how well will you fit in to the organization.
Patty Aronoff
Greetings John,
First I want to thank you for your service to our country and your part in keeping us safe.
I am responding to your statement only for the IT industry. I completely understand what you are saying. I think the hardest part of retiring from the military is the shock of the civilian world. Work or personal it does take some time to rap your head around this new reality.
After helping soldiers for over 8 years transition from military to the cilivian world I have seen the confusion and frustrations many times.
The biggest difference is with regard to management experience. In the military you are a true supervisor. You train, evaluate, monitor daily activity. You are not as hands on as your civilian counterpart. Speaking of only the IT industry when you manage in the civilian world you also have to be the most IT expert person plus you are also a worker bee and the go to person for technical questions and leadership.
Also, in the military you are not required to get vendor certified for the IT training that you are required to take while serving. In the civilian world we are mandated by congress to be certified under the 8570 Directive. If you are working for the DoD, Denfense Contractor or a civlian on a military base you must be vendor certified which would include CompTIA, Microsoft and Cisco to name a few.
Make sure that the education you determine is best for you will lead to the level of knowledge and skill set to be able to pass these vendor certification exams.
I hope that helps with your transition into the civilian IT industry.
It's been my experience with Employers that they rely on experience to validate your ability to do the tasks required for your position - however, having the education (degree) can put you above another candidate with the same experience.
Kasandra,
The degrees are often used as a recruiting tool. By having a degree, you have demonstrated the desire and ability to gain increased knowledge through a defined program of study.
Patty Aronoff
Depending on the field you are going into, I think both can work to your advantage. In my field, we look for more experience. I am in hospitality however. But if you were going into a management position, it is more about education, because it is about starting and finishing something such as a degree that employers really respect.
Debra,
I would agree. What employers are looking for is honesty and integrity. They are looking for people to come in with a strong work ethic both education and experience can help solidify those most wanted skills.
Patty Aronoff
