We are truly at an age of accelerated self-learning. One can find online websites selling multitude of courses ranging from sushi preparation to advanced Artificial Intelligence. We have arrived at a point in history of mankind where knowledge is no longer passed down from generation to generation.

Internet has disrupted a whole new dimension of the way techniques are passed down from father to son. Today , anyone can learn how to bake. Whether the final result is as expected is debatable but the secrets of baking no more hidden than the backroom of a multi-national banking.

Implications are wide ranging. Education , except from the highest ranked universities , doesn’t guarantee a job. Experience does. Since everyone “knows” , knowledge has stopped becoming the selling point but experience is.

Anyone can learn Python programming language easily from YouTube but that doesn’t mean anyone can become a python programmer. It takes months or years of development experience before one can become one. But if your education doesn’t guarantee the job then how can you gain experience? It literally becomes a chicken and egg problem in today’s society.

You are no good because you have not experienced anything. Therefore , you will never be placed in the position where you are trusted to handle the situation. And therefore , you would never be. It is not surprising that there are news of young people willing to pay companies to hire them!

So it is a double-whammy. On one hand , without education , you will never be considered even for an interview. But on the other hand , if one has been studying all one’s life , then how can one has the working experience that one is expected of?

This question came up during one of my own interview years ago. HR personnel dismissed my experience noting that I had no relevant experience for the job offer. And since I was being told off , my courage increased and told her how could I have gained the experience if everyone is looking for the experience?

Unexpectedly , I got the job.