college degree versus work experience

I think that employers who put great emphasis on college degrees while discounting an individual's experience are usually making a mistake. However, the argument of "education versus experience" is not black and white, there is no "right" or "wrong" answer. One thing to consider when hiring people is the field or industry a person works in. Employers often believe that people with degrees may show a proven ability to comprehend complex data and systems. Generally true, in many cases these assumption are misguided. People who have a degree might answer interview questions well but there is no guarantee that they will be able to perform the job as effectively as experienced worker. For example, a graduate degree, particularly one from a top school, may give a candidate an edge in a technical field, such as engineering or computing. However, in a field like sales, no technical ability is required, employers look towards an individual's personal characteristics and communication ability rather than any particular technical ability. Another thing to consider is that not all experience is equally valuable. For example, if the candidate has had experience in a large company, and you are hiring someone for a start company his or her experience may not be worth considering.