Whenever we need to hire a psychologist at the institute, the directors invariably ask me to select someone with experience, at least five years if possible. When they do so, I usually ask them to think of the worst professor they had in university, and how much experience that person had. The usual answer is: many years. Why then was he, or she, so bad?
Everyone seems to assume that experience is a good thing. Yet, how is it that so many highly experienced teachers, doctors, psychologists, or whatever, can be so bad? The answer is simple: experience can only help if you start with a solid foundation.
The value of experience
Experience is invaluable. It can teach us what works and what doesn’t. It can help us be more efficient by teaching us to focus on the essence of things. It can expose us to a wide variety of unusual situations that we could never have dreamed of while in school. Personally, I consider myself a much better psychologist now that I have experience. (Whether I actually am is a question that others will have to answer.)
The price of experience
The problem with experience, though, is what it does for confidence. Experience has a tendency to give us lots of it. And while confidence may feel good, it also can stop us from questioning ourselves. You see even bad professionals gain confidence with experience and the last thing any of us wants is to be taught or treated by a confident incompetent.
Building on a foundation
Experience alone does no good, and can indeed be harmful, if you don’t start with a solid foundation; a foundation built on critical thinking, acquired knowledge, and the personal humility needed to recognize your limits. With all of this, experience will take you from a raw mistake-prone rookie, to a seasoned professional who constantly seeks to improve and who inspires many others.
There are many potential stars out there but we won’t find most of them if we always require experience. Restricting jobs to those who have it increases the risk of hiring arrogant and incompetent professionals who are oblivious to the harm they can do. Of course if you ever complain about the services they provide, they will always remind you of their many years of experience!
Tagged as experience, Self-confidence.
Posted in Human nature, Random thoughts.
Posted on 25 Jul 2007
