Education vs experience

There are several clear-cut things you can do to get a job. One of them is by studying, which leads to certification, qualification and official acknowledgement that you are prepared to work in certain jobs. But does this automatically land you a job?

Most young school, college or university leavers seem to believe as much. Not employers though. When a young job-seeking hopeful goes for an interview, the usual preamble of chit chat usually leads to a question - do you have any job experience? An answer in the negative will generally mean the novel job-seeker doesn't get the job.

The crux of the matter then is this - if one spends so many years studying to be ready to get a job, one doesn't have time to work much to gain experience.

Part-time study is an alternative and could be a solution towards combining work and study to create a happy balance. But if one studies full-time, chances are there is not much time to spare on the type of work that accumulates the kind of experience relevant to what is being studied.

It becomes a vicious circle, and many will feel damned by the fact that they have certificates in academia and training, but no tangible work experience. As one young lad succinctly put it, "If nobody will employ me because I have no experience, how will I ever get that experience?"

A good idea is to take up summer jobs once secondary school is over. Don't take up a summer job with the intention of staying in it for keeps, unless something really special lands on your lap. In most cases, a summer job tends to be just that - something to do in your free time. Any odd job will do, because the word 'experience' does not merely refer to experience in your particular sector.

Experience is also about knowing how the cogs of the world of work function; proving you are responsible enough to stay put in a job not only for a week, but for a month, two and more.

That experience proves you are capable of shouldering some form of responsibility, that you can work well with others, communicate effectively with people, share tasks and finish jobs assigned to you. That experience will get you your first reference. In fact, make sure to always ask your employers for a written, signed and dated job reference, explaining what your job involved and how you fared.

Over time, with each passing summer, you will collect references, and with them that required 'experience'. Don't reserve job-seeking only for summer. Try to keep the odd job going on weekends or during Easter or Christmas holidays.

Unbeknown to you, your would-be employers will also be reckoning that since you have worked on a job, you got paid and managed your own money. Money management is an important part of the game and even if you don't manage it all that well the fact that you experienced the money-earning aspect of it helps in your overall understanding of the way the industry works.

Finding a job related to your area of study helps. If you are training in marketing, getting a job selling advertising space makes sense. If you are training to become a painter, what about a job helping a picture-framing shop? Even working as a waiter in a restaurant can help you glean not only experience but contacts. Think - if you aspire to be a doctor, find a job in a cafeteria close to a health centre; if you want to be a notary, get some waitressing jobs next to the law courts.

Aim for the moon, but be prepared to jump a couple of galaxies on the way there. Don't assume you know it all and be prepared to learn along the way. Some people even opt to do voluntary and unpaid work to gain that 'experience'.

These jobs pay in other ways, namely giving you a wider look at the specific area you aspire to enter. Say you want to become a social worker, a conservator or a music teacher - what about offering voluntary service with an NGO or a social support structure?

The would-be social worker could help out in a crèche; the would-be conservator could help out in a museum; and the would-be music teacher could assist teachers during music workshops, even if merely to hand out pencils and music scores. This will earn you strong points on your CV.

Remember, academia will give you the technical power to support your tangible work or life experience. It is not the be-all and end-all of the 'experience' you will ultimately draw upon, but it will compose one part of it.

Balancing out academia and hands-on experience is ultimately up to you, and the quicker you find a practical way of creating this balance the better your chances of eventually clinching the right job.

Ultimately, it is important to understand that the world of work has become so competitive that you have to find ways to outshine your competitors through personal authenticity, will power and baggage of life and work knowledge.

If you are naturally charismatic, then a people-oriented job will get you places. On the other hand, if you are more of a loner, you may be more suited behind the scenes, where all the groundwork is usually laid out.

If you are determined, you are less likely to falter at the first major hurdle, and thus prove yourself to be the go-getter that you are. Each of us comes from a specific background. Don't assume that what that taught you does not count. Think about it and use it to your benefit.