Education in the Workforce

Sometimes I wonder about the way we have chosen to view education vs. experience in our society. Why is it so important 30 years later that we successfully completed the assigned credits to earn a high school diploma? Why does a degree matter to a potential employer when that degree represents everything from a "D's get degrees" mentality all the way to the Dean's list? I think the emphasis on the importance of an education contributes to imposter syndrome; I've known many experienced people who feel inferior to their more educated colleagues, regardless of capability. And I don't think that is fair.

Personally, I can appreciate both sides of this coin. I can see that our world is currently set up in a way that you "pay your dues" with school and then the reward is a faster track to a higher salary and more opportunity. I have invested that time...and over the last 12 years I have earned 2 certificates (in accounting and management), I have nearly completed my Bachelor of Commerce degree (34/40 courses done), and I am currently in Core 2 of the CPA. So I understand firsthand the cost, the time, the work, and the sacrifice of earning a formal education. But I can also relate to being paid substantially less than my more educated counterparts for performing the same job, even when I have had more experience.

This is not meant to diminish educational accomplishments. I have been extremely proud of both of those certificates and each milestone I have reached. Part of my identity for the past 12 years has been as a student, and I love talking about school. Also, many of my close friends have a lot of education and it fills my bucket seeing them reach their goals. I believe you can appreciate and celebrate these things while also being critical of the role education plays in society.

I've always found my work experience helped me more with school than the other way around. Mainly because I had actually physically completed the tasks we were learning about so I could visualize them in a real way in class. The education I have found most rewarding has actually been the courses I have taken outside of accounting. I have intentionally taken courses of varied disciplines so I could keep my interest as I navigated long-term/part-time education. I've taken astronomy, geography, art history, psych, meteorology, and I have loved learning little pieces of these subjects. But I could learn these things in other ways....reading books, online tools like Coursera....articles, documentaries....

Access to an education is something I will always appreciate. If I didn't live somewhere that offered a regional college option and if I didn't have access to online Uni, I wouldn't be where I am educationally, my job prospects would have been way less, as would my earning potential. But that's the point isn't it? Not everyone can access it, for some people online learning is really hard....if those people pour themselves into a career and earn their "education" on the job, how is it less valuable?

I know also that this isn't always the case. Many people work their way up through a company and that experience is recognized internally and also by their competitors/potential future employers. But it isn't consistent. What is the solution? Value x amount of years experience as x amount of years education? That is what the CPA does for entrance requirements. They accepted me as a mature student based on 8 years of experience as the equivalent of a 4 year degree, and I also had to complete approximately 20 prerequisite courses (half of a degree).

This is something I have been wondering for awhile. I don't know what the answer is, I just want people to know that if they don't have a formal education it shouldn't hold them back from going after their dreams. Don't settle.

-Amanda