“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi had many wise words, but these words align well with our topic of discussion for this week. The debate around whether education equips students with the relevant skills and expertise to function optimally in the working world, has been longstanding. This week we look at some of the key benefits of education and experience, to establish why they complement each other to ensure you are well equipped for your future career:
Your education…
- ensures that you develop basic skills that you would require in the working world. Whether your teacher encourages you to share books or other learning equipment with your fellow students or teaches you the importance of time management for example.
- gives you the theoretical framework for your chosen career, ensuring that you operate within legal and industry standards.
- gives you the opportunity to benefit from developing skills within a controlled environment, allowing you to bounce ideas off peers and experiment with different skills that you might need in the working world.
- gives your CV the “stamp of approval” and indicates to future employers that you have the required knowledge to practice in your chosen field.
Experience…
- allows you to observe professionals who already work in your chosen industry.
- offers you a real look into the day-to-day challenges of the job.
- encourages you to practice your skills and get rewarded for the product or service that you offer.
- gives you extra knowledge that you cannot learn from a textbook.
For these reasons it is very important to balance your education and your experience to get the best results and to keep on achieving more in your career. Remember that you can always continue to further your education or training, even while you are building experience and working in your chosen career!