Experience VS Education

[dizzle]

I was having a debate (semi-heated) amongst a few colleagues and I wanted to get the views of employers on this topic.

Would you rather hire someone that has 4+ years of intense experience in the field that you're hiring for.

or.

Would you rather hire someone that has just graduated with a 4 year degree from a University with 1 or less years of experience in that field.

Each potential employee is in the 20-29 age bracket, are motivated go-getters. All it comes down to is education vs experience.

Thoughts?

[KristineS]

Depends on the person. I've known some people who were very educated and total idiots at doing anything practical. I've known people who were great at figuring things out and had no education. If all else is equal, I'd probably pick experience over education.

[Harold Mansfield]

I'd probably go for the experienced person so that they can hit the ground running and take less time to get trained and acclimated. Education is important, but it is not an absolute determiner that the person can be successful in a given field, only that they studied enough to get a degree.

A good example is the obvious Physicians and Lawyers. Not all of them are good and some are downright hacks, but they do have the paper on the wall. That's not to say in that instance I would hire a Doctor that didn't finish medical school.

[Steve B]

In this case, I would go with the education. All things being equal (which is, of course, a Huge assumption), the educated person would have the potential to do more in the future. There's a reason most counselors advise people to get a college degree rather than go get 4 years of intense experience.

[billbenson]

The most important thing I learned in college was the ability to learn. However hiring someone out of college, they still need to learn how the real world works. A college degree also means they are smart enough to make it through college. You don't have that guarantee with work experience unless they have made some great accomplishments while working. Still, I'd say if you are looking for a long term employee the college kid is a better bet. If you need someone to hit the ground running the experienced worker is better. Of course there are exceptions to the rule.

[Harold Mansfield]

It's really hard question to answer decisively because different situations will call for what ever action is appropriate for the needs of the employer. There really isn't a right or wrong answer. For every instance when hiring based on experience is appropriate there another where the college degree is the better option.

[Spider]

Too many variables for a outright answer. First, I would not consider someone with only 4 years experience as having intense experience. Depending on the topic, four years experience is hardly very meaningful for anything that would be worth a degree. Four years experience against four years of university or college study? I'd go for the 4-year degree.

Four years experience as a medical assistant against a medical degree? No way!

Four years experience as an engineer against a 4-yr engineering degree? No!

Four years experience as a landscape gardener against a 2-yr horticultural degree? I'd probably take the experience.

10 years extensive experience vs. a 4-year degree? Then I would favor the experience.

[Harold Mansfield]

Here's a good example for experience over schooling. When I was a Bar Manager I almost never, ever hired anyone that went to or just came out of Bartending School. Obviously nowhere near the same level as a college degree vs. work experience in the business world, but to me Bartending school was/is a joke and does nothing to prepare you for actually working a Bar with real people/drunks.

[greenoak]

the main thing would be the quality of their work...if they had super resumes from their experience, that would be way ahead of college, to me.....
what you hear about the quality of a college degree seems to be going down /getting worse ...it wouldnt prove much to me...id be hopeful tho ...at least they stuck to somethng for 4 yrs...

[AaronConway]

If everything else is equal I'll take experience over education any day. I consider it similar to cat years. For every year worked in the real world that's worth four years of college.