Education vs. experience: an age-old debate that has been going on for years. Some people side with education, stating that the things they have learned in school cannot be taught in the real world, while others are on team experience because according to them, there’s nothing quite like learning on your feet.
We firmly believe that you can have a successful business, regardless of your background or walk of life. At F45 Training, we believe no two people are the same and no two backgrounds tell the same story.
Here’s how we rank education vs. experience when it comes to success as an entrepreneur.
Education
Education is one of the most important aspects of life, as it prepares you for ‘the real world’ and gives you a chance to submerge yourself in facts and findings regarding the particular subject you choose to study. Education can be as extensive as you choose to make it, giving you the opportunity to carve your own path as an entrepreneur and business owner. MBA? Undergraduate? Associate’s? The choice is yours, and it’s truly a beautiful thing to have control over your learnings. One thing is important to note, though—it’s not necessarily what you learn in school that counts, it’s what you do with the knowledge that you have gained.
Entrepreneur states that education can actually give those striving entrepreneurs a different lens on their current situations and making their goals a reality. For example, there may be a case study in a class that is identical to a real-life scenario one may face later on.
Additionally, education opens doors for networking opportunities that can set people apart in business. Perhaps old classmates are now real estate brokers and can help you find your next business site, or perhaps your former partner in a class would make a great investor in your new venture.
But does that mean education is superior to experience? Not quite.
Experience
Sure, you can learn a lot from sitting in a classroom five days a week, but you know what else you can learn from? Life. That’s right, you can learn a lot from pure and unfiltered experience, especially in business.
Some of the most successful people in the world started from the bottom of the totem pole and worked their way up, not by getting all of the degrees they can, but through experience and hard work. The lessons taught in the classroom are often perfectly curated to show the student a problem, dilemma, and solution. In life, things may not be as clear-cut and to the point.
Experience helps open doors for entrepreneurs and business owners that may have not gotten there without networking, elbow grease, and long work hours. Out in the field, you learn things that simply cannot be taught. You learn how to have passion and drive for what you do each day, and how to go after the things that you desire but may not currently have. Some things cannot be taught in a classroom, whereas others are better off there.
All of this to say that “Natural talent, ambition, drive, determination and good old dumb luck have fueled many successful entrepreneurs.”
The right answer here is that there isn’t one. Both education and experience play a huge role in the success of a business owner. Who are we to say which is better or has prepared you more for your next role? What we find imperative is that you have confidence in your skills, wherever you learned them, and you show up day after day ready to put in the work necessary to be the best of the best. That is a skill you cannot fake.
Education vs. Experience: Which Reigns Supreme in Business?
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