Incredible India Monthly Contest of July#2: Skills or Degree!

In today's dynamic environment, the issue of skills versus degree has grown even more pertinent than before. While both are important in building up one's career and personality, a lot of questions arise as regards the importance of either of the two in securing success in life. As various businesses continue to change, and companies keep emphasizing the practical aspect of the work more and more, it would be good to figure out which of the two prepares us better for the realities of life.

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Skills vs Degree! According to you, which one is more significant(pick one) and why?

Without any doubt, skills matter more than academic credentials.

The reason for such an opinion is my Uncle Martin. Although he never boasted of having good qualifications, sometimes even being underestimated because of that, unlike many other young people, he preferred to focus on developing his practical skills. Learning installation of electrical equipment, maintenance of it, and then switching to solar energy installations, he saw each job as an improvement of his own knowledge and practical skills. Before long, all those people who did not pay much attention to him found themselves asking for help from the very same person that they used to underestimate at first.

It has changed my attitude towards success significantly. While a degree will get you somewhere, the skill will keep you there and will open you new doors. The skill solves the problem, and people will be always willing to pay for it. My uncle has never had difficulties finding jobs, as his success was based on his competencies and not on diplomas. And he even used to teach young specialists, some of which were graduates of universities but had no practical knowledge at all.

This experience impacted my own way of thinking. Education is valuable as it gives a certain framework and expands knowledge, but if I could have chosen either of them, skills would be my choice without any doubts. Degrees get out of date, industries change, yet learning and creating value and solving problems are always valuable. The life of my uncle Martin showed me that what one can do is more valuable than diplomas.

How do both influence our lifestyle? Explain!

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Skills and degrees are equally important in shaping the way we live our lives since they will define what opportunities we get and what choices we make that will affect our future in the long term. First of all, a degree will usually provide a solid background and framework through which one would pursue his/her professional career as it will bring about theory, discipline, and qualifications. Moreover, a degree will make you more credible in a particular field, help you access some professions, and make you part of some useful networks. Skills, on the other hand, are going to affect our effectiveness in dealing with various tasks, adapting to changes, problem-solving, and creating value on a daily basis.

It is clear that the way we conduct our lives on a daily basis is affected by the way we develop them. Practical skills like effective communication, critical thinking, financial skills, leadership, and others will positively affect the quality of decisions we make and the ways we manage our relationships. They will allow us to earn money, deal with different problems, and stay relevant even in case if an industry gets changed somehow. Degrees complement our practical skills as they will enhance our understanding of some concepts and professional ethics.

In my opinion, the biggest influence will come from the interaction between knowledge and skill. The fact is that while a degree may secure an individual a job interview, it’s skills that will help him/her succeed, move up the corporate ladder and, if necessary, establish one’s own company. At the same time, good skills can become even more significant if backed by proper theoretical knowledge in academia. In addition, this mix will offer better career prospects, increase financial freedom, inspire one to continue educating oneself throughout one’s life and be able to give something back to the family, community and the society at large.

To sustain in life, which one helps us more, skills or degree? Your viewpoint!

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In case, my purpose in life is to be able to survive through its uncertainty, I will have no doubt in choosing skills over anything else. Life is unpredictable. There can be company shutdowns, changes in the industry, technological advancements and economic downfall that may affect anyone irrespective of their level of education. It is only then that a person survives not by virtue of the degree he or she has, but by being able to provide solutions. Skills go anywhere. They can be in programming, in tailoring, in carpentry, in graphic design, in photography, in plumbing, in writing or in digital marketing. Whatever the case may be, a skilled person has the ability to create job opportunities even when the traditional ones are not there.

It happened in my personal experience. In hard economic times, I observed that many educated people had problems finding jobs since their success depended entirely on the availability of opportunities. On the other hand, people who were skilled were still getting employed because they could always provide services that were needed. For instance, a mechanic still serviced cars, an electrician still fixed wrong wirings and a designer still worked with clients online. It was then that I learned that being adaptable is more important than being qualified to survive. In a case where one has some particular skills, there will be no need to wait for someone to hire one; rather, he or she can make his or her own job.

This is the reason why I believe that skills are more sustainable than anything else. I appreciate degrees, which give one knowledge and open up career avenues, particularly those such as medical, legal, and engineering. But when the going gets tough, skills bring about adaptability, independence, and freedom to begin again. With skills, one earns, learns, adapts, and becomes relevant under different conditions. This is my understanding of sustainability.

I would like to invite

@ruthjoe
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Thanks for reading this post!!!