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THE PARADOXES OF AGE AND EXPERIENCE
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
They say that with age come experience and wisdom, but is that necessarily true? In more aspects that one, it
most truly is.
For instance, many companies promote their employees according to the length of time they have spent on a
particular post. Companies hire individuals with a certain amount of experience in the field. Those who have
spent time learning and relearning a specific discipline are assured of getting well-paying jobs and the perks
that go with them. Professionals who have been in certain industries are accorded respect and earn admiration
for the vast wealth of experience that they carry. Indeed, time seems to constantly be relative to experience
and wisdom.
However, that might not always be the case.
There are some professionals who have spent a long time in their fields but fail to accumulate the experience
necessary to make them excel. While their younger counterparts easily claim awards and adulation, those
types of people seem to enjoy their comfort zone so much that they fail to see the essentials of getting ahead.
Such people become so jaded with their positions that they easily lose the ambition to dream higher and strive
further. In some cases, maybe it’s just simple bypassing but more often than not, it’s the fact that the more
successful ones never lose their interest and passion in what they do in a way that makes them excel far
beyond the level of their older counterparts. Experience counts, but when it is not coupled with ambition or a
strong drive to succeed, it is just a number of years that do nothing at all to one’s stature.
The great Abraham Lincoln once said: And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in
your years. If we just keep counting the years without adding any relevance to those very years, all we have are
numbers. Experience needs to be fueled by a genuine drive to succeed, and success does not readily come to
those who close their eyes at the smallest challenges. We need to be motivated to do our utmost at all times,
so our experience is well-marked with innumerable achievements and numerous accomplishments. A senior
employee should not boast of the number of years he has worked for the company and scoff at the younger
ones. Chances are, the younger ones have had a tremendous amount of experience working in highly-
progressive companies and have accumulated much more relevant understanding of concepts and principles.
Let us not be blinded by time. Rather, let time be our background towards accumulating a wealth of experience
not easily rivaled and assailed both in its intensiveness and extensiveness.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1.
Do you believe that with age come experience and wisdom? Why or why not?
2.
How can we successfully accumulate experience at work?
3.
Why is experience necessary for a highly-responsible position in any company?
4.
What experience have you had for your present job? Why do you consider them valuable?
5.
If you were to choose between a job applicant who had spent a long time at work but has done
nothing notable, and a younger one who shows great enthusiasm and potential, who would you
choose to hire? Why?