What academic tool do you need to gain respect, validation, and approbation from your respective industries? Experience or Degrees? It seems like both are relatively important. Therefore, there are some aspects of this dispute that demand immediate attention and revision. 

Experience is vital for a professional to be considered as a junior or senior, but is it as meaningful without a degree as it is with one? Let’s take a deeper look at that matter.

College or Self-Taught

As we all agree, most of the time, experience is the main reason why professionals are requested. The more experience you have, the more you will be successful with a task or project. 

Some of the most outstanding professionals I have accoutered have built their business over time, after many years of learning and training, failure, and adjustment. Almost none of them refer to their degrees or academic journey. They only rely on experience to evaluate professional expertise and to self-evaluate. 

So why is that? We also agree that college degrees are essential. Having acknowledged that fact, the real question is: how important does a degree become when the individual has accumulated a junior or a senior experience level?

When we look at it, a combination of degree and experience is the ideal professional tool for all industries. But is it practically true for all sectors? My own experience shows me that this is not necessarily a fact. It depends on the industry, and there is a delocalization and environment aspect. For instance, in specific technology industries, you can become a senior-level professional, such as a senior programmer or a senior graphic designer, without a college degree, which is not likely to happen in the health industry.

It would be tough for an individual to be a heart disease specialist by learning on the internet and practicing freelance for seven to ten years. In some areas of the world, such as Africa, the limited education system forces many people to self-learn.

In the late 90’s and early 2000, there were no known schools of 3D design, so the first generation of local 3D designers in the West African region were all self-taught professionals who work for companies like McCann Erickson and clients like Western Union and Unilever.

Being a high-ranking professional depends on experience for all industries and experience and degree for only some industries. In 2021, you can easily find your way to success without a college degree if you choose to become a programmer or videographer and many other technological areas. If you decide to have a Medical doctor or geological engineer career, the conventional way is to seek formal education to comply with regulations. 

Final Words

Is a college degree essential? College or any other type of academic education is important to acquire knowledge. But sometimes, if you are not exposed to the right system or the right environment, you can find a way to self-educate and gain experience. Even though this is not true for every professional sector, it is an efficient way to access knowledge and become successful in your professional life.