Time On the Job or Education Experience?

The experience vs education debate...

What values does a future employer actually expect?

Is an advanced education a worthwhile investment?

Are ATs being compensated for their education or even their experience?

Is there really a guarantee of a return on your educational investment?

Education shows that you have the proper credentials for the role.

Experience shows that you have done similar tasks at past jobs, and it has allowed you to develop important job-related skills.

While both experience and education can help you find a higher-paying job, they may do this differently. Experience can help you find mid to senior-level roles, as employers often require a certain amount of relevant professional experience to qualify for these roles, which tend to pay more than entry-level positions. Earning more education can help you become automatically eligible for increased compensation on an employer's pay scale.

While 65 percent of jobs require postsecondary education, managers still consider internships, employment during college, and volunteer experience more important than GPA or relevant coursework when evaluating a candidate’s readiness for a job.

Kilfoye explains “Employers today expect recent college graduates to demonstrate the equivalent of two years’ worth of work experience in their domain before they’ll consider hiring them,” he reveals. “That’s why it’s important to build experiential opportunity right into our academic programs, so learners apply classroom skills to solve real-world problems for real workplace sponsors.”

Student prospects must invest their time and energy to pick an educational program that understands employers' needs.

Your experience and education can help you develop skills for a job. While you can learn many skills through your educational program, others may require more on-the-job training to develop.

If you want to be a competitive candidate, you want to have more experience and education than other candidates. Oftentimes, people choose to pursue additional degrees or certifications to set themselves apart from other candidates. While education credentials can help you find more job opportunities, finding ways to highlight your relevant experiences helps prove that you added value to your previous teams, by showing examples of success in your previous roles through projects or how you navigated situations will enhance your hiring potential.

What are employers actually looking for in applicable skills?

Education vs. Experience: Which Do Employers Value More? (northeastern.edu)

Shelby 6/2024