Field Experience vs. College Degree

This paper explores the debate on the importance of field experience and college degree for career growth and success. It provides a literature review, theoretical framework, research question, and hypotheses. The socialization theoretical framework and Conley’s college and career readiness model are discussed. The null hypothesis is that college degree is essential for career development, while the alternative hypothesis is that field experience is more important. The paper concludes that both are necessary for success.

Field Experience vs. College Degree
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Literature review.........................................................................................................................................2
Research question........................................................................................................................................3
Theoretical framework................................................................................................................................4
Hypotheses..................................................................................................................................................5
References...................................................................................................................................................6
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Introduction
College degree is the education certificate and knowledge that people achieve after the
completion of their college. Field experience generally does not have any particular certification
but it helps to develop the skill and knowledge of the people in the particular field. Both the
college degree and the field experience have the vital aspect in the career development process of
a person. The primary purpose of the paper is to provide clear argument regarding the field
experience and the college degree for the career development and also for getting success within
the professional field. The paper will provide effective argument on the concept for having a
clear understanding on the phase.
Literature review
Education or the experience is the common field of argument which provides an effective view
of the development process of a person in their career. According to Maas, (2018), the people
with higher education most of the time earn more money as compared to the average salary of
the business person with a low education. It can be seen that in most of the cases education have
a higher value for the people that help them to get a high position within the organization. On the
other hand, it can be seen from the view of Lee, (2016), working in the same field help to gather
more experience which leads to earning more money than the fresh graduates or the higher
educated people. This is a debatable concern regarding the development of carer within the
market where both the education as well as experience is necessary to achieve a suitable position.
The situation is a win-win where both the factor is effectively high within the field. It can be
seen that a person with a high school graduate earns a ransom money with the years of
experience but the fresh college graduate with no experience earn much lower than the high
school graduate. As per Ohm, (2015), it can be seen that the college education is just the matter
of degree. This is the facts that most of the college graduates did not perform job according to
their majors. They are unable to get an appropriate job within the field due to lack of experience
which is vital to the employers.
From the view of Phillips, (2014), the experience help to get more effective and valuable job in
the market as compared to that of education or college degree. The primary concern of the fact is
that people in the present day are very much associated with the process of earning money and
for the employers, the primary fact is to enhance the productivity and the reputation level of the
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firm. This facts clearly depicts that the employer always seeks for the people who have
experience within the particular field. In the words of Thelin, (2013), it can be seen that world is
rapidly changing and there is few time for the employers to spend on fresher and train them as
per the requirement of the firm. This is the major reason that the professional world wants the
experience employees for their firm it can be seen that the employers generally want the people
who have experience regarding the working function of the world along with the skill that the
education cannot teach. This is the vital activity for the employers in the field to maintain their
value in the business process to maintain the working function. College degree and the
experience have a vital fight within the field of career development and professional process. It is
clear from the view of Ohm, (2015), that the declared majors of the student or people have
nothing to do with their success. This is the fact that student gathers certificate just to maintain
their education level.
According to Shane, & Khurana, (2003), the college degree is the requirement of the people for
the competitive workforce. It is vital for the people to have education degree and certificate but
the fact is that it is not effective in the competitive workforce. It can be seen that one with higher
education but with no experience get the lower position within the organization. It is the major
and the vital fact where education is required for knowledge and understanding but at the same
time, the experience is the most essential factor within the professional world. According to
Stahl, (2015), the cost of education has raised over the time and this is due to the fact that the
education system in the world has turned into a business. This is highly effective for the common
people to maintain their activity in the education and gain effective knowledge. But in most of
the cases, it can be seen that college and school education did not have the effective scope for
building the successful career of a person. In the view of Phillips, (2014), it can be seen that even
the unpaid experiences are effective for developing the career of a person. It is the general fact
that field experience develops the knowledge and the skill of a person that education is unable to
provide. On the other hand, education allows the person to have effective knowledge regarding
the various facts and also vital position within the market to establish their career.
Research question
The research question for the fact of college degree versus the field education are;
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 What is more vital for the career growth and success? Is it college degree or the field
experience in term of professional field and successful career?
Theoretical framework
The socialization theoretical framework within the field of education clearly provides an
effective view of the field. According to Clara Awé, (2010), the socialization is defined as the
primary process by which the person has the ability to develop their professional self by the help
of knowledge, skill, attitude, and degree. In the field of healthcare education system, the college
degree has a vital aspect for the development of people career. The theoretical framework of the
socialization help in the development of UIC-COP-PWP program structure that is essential for
understanding the decision-making process of the healthcare student. According to Ohm, (2015),
this field is highly effective and vital where the education or the college degree is directly related
to the success of the people. It is the general fact where the people can develop their experience
with the help of effective college degree. The need-based sociopsychological model of Astin
clearly provides the view on the need of education for the social establishment. According to
Maas, (2018), people generally get socially accepted if they are having higher education. It is the
process of recognizing the people with their education certificate.
From the view of Ohm, (2015), it can be seen that the Conley’s college and career readiness
model is highly effective for understanding the career growth and the college degree value in the
life of a student. It clearly provides the view that the people need to have an effective degree and
at the same time they are required to adopt the strategy and also the skill for their development in
the future. It is the vital activity that needs to be performed by the people within the field despite
their education system and the gathered experiences. In the words of Stahl, (2015), the concept
of having a college degree or the field experience is just a phase of debate as both are equally
required for achieving the success in life. The entire process has the ability to deal with the
working function and the competitive market with the help of experience. The theoretical
framework of the concept helps to understand the need of working function for the development
of people within the market. It can be seen that people in most of the cases get an effective
college degree but they are unable to gather experience and for that, despite the higher degree
they are unable to compete with the income of an experienced person.
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The college degree or the higher education system creates a virtual world for the people and for
that in most of the cases they are unable to gain the unpaid experience also. It is clear from the
view of Lee, (2016) that the unpaid experience also provides a huge development process for the
people and this is effective for understanding the need of the people. The entire fact is clear that
the working function in the competitive world is complicated and in this, both the college degree
along with the field experience is required. But in most of the cases, it can be seen that people
with only school graduate with higher experience are earning more than the college graduate
with low experience. There is numerous view on the aspect and for that this debate seems to have
a never-ending conversation. Society provides value to the college degree and the employers
provide value to field experience and both are interlinked with each other which is the major
reason for the debate.
Hypotheses
Null hypotheses (H0): College degree is highly essential for the development of a professional
career and also to achieve success.
Alternative hypotheses (H1): Field experience is highly essential for the development of a
professional career and also to achieve success.
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References
Clara Awé, J. (2010). Theoretical and Conceptual Framework for a High School Pathways to
Pharmacy Program. American Journal Of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(8). Retrieved 7
September 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2987289/
Lee, G. (2016). Why Experience Is More Important Than Your Education - AIESEC
Canada. AIESEC Canada. Retrieved 7 September 2018, from
https://www.aiesec.ca/blog/why-experience-is-more-important-than-your-education/
Maas, S. (2018). The NBER Digest, Variation in Education Costs and Future Earnings. April
2017 NBER Digest. (2018). Nber.org. Retrieved 7 September 2018, from
http://www.nber.org/digest/apr17/w23029.shtml
Ohm, S. (2015). Experience vs. a degree: Which is more valuable?. Retrieved 7 September 2018,
from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/experience-vs--a-degree--which-is-more-valuable-
160706282.html
Phillips, C. (2014). A matter of degree: Many college grads never work in their major. Retrieved
7 September 2018, from
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/story/2014/nov/16/matter-
degree-many-college-grads-never-work-/273665/
Shane, S., & Khurana, R. (2003). Bringing individuals back in: the effects of career experience
on new firm founding. Retrieved 7 September 2018, from
https://academic.oup.com/icc/article-abstract/12/3/519/868726?redirectedFrom=PDF
Stahl, A. (2015). Six Reasons Why Your College Major Doesn't Matter. Retrieved 7 September
2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2015/08/12/six-reasons-why-your-
college-major-doesnt-matter/#5c542d3935a0
Thelin, J. (2013). The Rising Costs of Higher Education. Retrieved 7 September 2018, from
https://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=A3871C
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