‘What Matters More To Employers, Education Or Experience?’ Asks AI Expert
Arthur T Knackerbracket writes:
Aon's Joseph Holland discusses how taking the route less travelled can lead you towards the career you were meant to have.
I wanted to be an architect", explains Joseph Holland, the director of digital foundations, AI platforms and developer experience, at Aon. That was the plan, however, having completed the Leaving Cert, he found he didn't have the required CAO points and suddenly didn't have a plan anymore".
I'd always been into computers and technology though. Even while I was unemployed I was refurbishing old PCs and selling them on. So when a FAS caseworker mentioned Fastrack into Information Technology (FIT), it caught my attention immediately."
He was accepted onto the programme and emerged with a QQI-FET level six Advanced Certificate in IT Specific Support and a one-year contract at Kepak Group that soon became permanent.
From there he moved on to Version1 and then Aon, where having spotted a gap whereby there was no developer experience function, he made the case for building one and today is leading the AI platform and developer experience. Along the way he also enrolled at Trinity College Dublin, as a mature student, where he completed his information systems degree.
All that is to say that often, despite having a plan, you don't always end up going in the direction you thought you would. Professionally, it can take time and research to figure out the best course of action.
I'm glad I did it," says Holland, I picked up useful skills around project management, systems analysis and understanding how technology fits into broader business strategy. But honestly, the experience and track record I'd already built mattered more to every employer than the piece of paper."
Access to less typical educational and upskilling opportunities is, for Holland, everything", as he explains without FIT he likely would have chosen to retake the Leaving Cert, pointing his career in a different trajectory.
He notes, The traditional system had written me off based on a set of exam results. FIT looked at me differently. What makes programmes like FIT work is the direct connection to industry. You're not studying theory in isolation. You're learning skills that employers actually need and you're getting placed in real workplaces where you can prove yourself."
Apprenticeships he finds have the power to break down the biggest barriers for young people struggling to get their foot in the door when they don't have a degree on their CV.
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