Experience or education: which is more important?

Question

So, this is something that I have wondered about for a long time. It seems to me that more and more employers nowadays (including the company I work for) are turning down fresh college grads in favor of those that may not have any education, but have tons of experience doing a particular job.

I was out of college a long time ago, but now that I am starting to deal more with hiring and HR in my daily job duties, I would like to know something... what do you think is more important to look at, actual day-to-day experience doing the job (even if a candidate lacks formal education) or formal education with little experience other than (sometimes) a one-semester internship??

Is this unfair to young college grads? Or, does it just even out the playing field for those that weren't lucky enough to go to college?

martino: LOL... my business is advertising, also!

Answer 1

education is more relevant when someone is a a newcomer to the work force or a specific field, such as a recent grad or a returning home-maker. As such, they have little experience, but have invested time, effort and money into education, and can bring the freshest training to the table, and are usually cheaper than experienced personnel. For mature workers, experience is often key, as it their abilities and proficiencies in their field are actual, not theoretical, and their education, if they have one, is most likely 10-20 years out of date.

Answer 2

You don't mention your business.

Some fields need someone who can hit the ground running and slide right into an established position like they have been doing it all their lives. Someone with experience usually trumps the recent graduate on these grounds, because they in fact may have been doing it all their lives. I see everyone here gives education the thumbs up over experience. But in my field, which is advertising, I have to tell you my real education began the minute a major company hired me. I had some very prim ideas from school about how things work. Work showed me that practice trumps theory nearly every time. I have always said that my education really began after school.

This can't apply to every field. It may apply to yours.

Answer 3

Education is always key, especially for technical careers.

While college grads get the short end of the stick because they have no experience (and that is frustrating), they come out better in the long run because they have that paper in their favor.

Answer 4

Experience and education go hand in hand--
You must experience life to learn but you can not know what you learn without experience