“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”
– Confucius
This past couple weeks something was in the back of mind: Do I progress forward in my career or level up in my education. I do have my master degree (apparently a thing now a days) but there are job opportunities that would require a Phd. At the same time there are other job opportunities that value career experience.
When we first get out of high school, we could either further our education, get a job, or do nothing (absolutely nothing, no progress). We been taught that a degree is important because it leads you to more money, but for those who don’t know how to play the career game (which I’ll explain in another post) you might be losing entry level positions to those who have more experience than you. It’s frustrating! That’s why some may go for their master degree or even their doctorate. There is a flip side to that, and that is the fact that some positions require a level of degree to even apply. Experience and education is intertwine with each other that creates such a difficult for most millennial to get a working career going.
Even those who have settled in the career may consider advancing it, but that still proves to be difficult to progress. We have to stick it out and be patient for that higher position (which is hard for most millennial, me included), but adding education to work life, social life doesn’t jive. Some degree programs also interfere with the work life that makes it even harder to even attend. So there lies my dilemma, do I stop working just to pursue my higher degree or do I I continue my career field.
After talking to my friend about my dilemma, I came to the conclusion that education allows the door to opportunities to be open, but experience solidifies obtaining those opportunities. Additionally, my friend mentioned that at some point in progression of life, education and experience ends up not mattering at all. He posed me this question: A person with a bachelor’s degree, a person with 5 years of work experience, and a person with 2 years of experience & an associate degree who was recommended by an awesome boss; among the choices who would you choose if they all posses the same skill knowledge?
In all honesty, I would pick the recommended person, just because if the boss is awesome then it means that the person that they picked is equally awesome to work with. I’ll explain fitment in another post, but I am curious, which one would you choose? A person with experience, or with education, or nice fit in your job site regardless of experience or education?
The Lazy Employee 