Knowledge Vs Experience

Graphics by Narender Sharma
Shakehand with Life

It has always been under debate that which one has greater importance whether it is knowledge or the experience. A person should concentrate on which one to get success in today's competitive environment. A  few candidates feel that they are lacking because of experience at the same time few others feel that they are lacking because of  knowledge of their respective area. The situation is something like you sitting on sea-saw , if one is  trying to get knowledge then he will not get experience and if one is  trying  to get experience then he will surly suffer to get knowledge. This makes the situation more critical to decide that which one is more important, Knowledge or the Experience? Even in the interviews this question has a remarkable importance because some employers preferred the qualification whereas some preferred experience of the candidate. One more question arises from this debate that knowledge comes from the experience or knowledge is the source of experience? The debate is very interesting and I think it will go continuously for the different period of time. 

In my view Knowledge and experience both are complement to each other. I would like clear my words with following examples.

A teacher telling about the Elephant to the students like an Elephant has biggest animal on the earth, It has four legs, one trunk, its color is black, it has small tail. So the students get aware about the Elephant but they do not experience the Elephant. Now one day the teacher take the students to a Zoo where the students saw the Elephant and experience the Elephant that how it move? How it take food? How it take water? and also confirm their knowledge which they got from teacher along with updating their knowledge about the Elephant. 

Same way a student of engineering is learnt different kinds of tools  during the course of his study and gain the knowledge about working environment of a manufacturing organization but when he inducted in the industry he not only confirms his knowledge but also gain the experience of real working environment along with upgrading his knowledge. Its a life long process and the knowledge is transferred from one generation to new one who confirm this knowledge in their current environment again  and gain new experiences with the help of this knowledge. 

For a girl before her marriage her mother gives the knowledge about how she had setup her home? How she learn different things from her mother in law? What kind of experiences she got during setup of her home? How she utilized her knowledge  which she got from her mother and mother in law? Now her life long experience is become the source of learning for her daughter which she will utilized during her turn in experiment of setting up her home along with new learning which she will get during her experiment.

If a person wants to drive a car which he don't know, When he go to a driving training school , The trainer first introduced him about the body of car, it's working process, steering, brakes, accelerator, sitting position, rear view mirror. Trainer gives knowledge of all the essential parts of the car which used to during driving and all the recommendations and precautions which must be taken during driving the car. But when the learner try to drive the car he experience the car with his own point of view and first confirm which learn from his trainer and then start experiment with car and successively learn so many new things when he drive the car, now his experiment with the car becomes the source of new learning.

So Knowledge prepare the bed for better experiences and experiment first confirm the prior learning and then  become the source of new learning or knowledge. 

The above examples clearly explain that the relationship of  knowledge and experience is very close and it is not an exaggeration if I say, " Knowledge and Experience has the relationship like a Husband and Wife, A relationship like the two wheels of a cart, and the most important limbs if anyone is  missed by a person he will be called handicapped."

Comments are welcome!