Metaphor for a Skilled Worker with Solid Experience but Minimal Degree

September 15, 2015 7:33 AM

Can you think of a good metaphor or analogy that puts a positive spin on a person who has a lot of skills and experience in a technical career field and is very good at what they do, but who's education or degree is not as advanced as others who have high degrees in the same field?

I want to use an impactful metaphor/analogy to shine a positive light on people with Associates (or in some cases Bachelors) degrees but with lots of real-world experience and a dedication to continued learning/self-improvement beyond college vs people with higher degrees such as Masters and Doctorates.

Can you think of any good ones? Context could be anything... The more the merrier, even anecdotes or weaker metaphors/analogies might inspire another hive-mind'er to think of a strong one they might not have otherwise thought of. So let's flood the page with metaphors and analogies of all kinds!

posted by purefusion to Writing & Language (19 answers total)

Not the most edifying example but a well broken-in boot is superior to a fancier but unworn new boot.

I feel like there are lots of tools/devices that work better once they've been used a bit but am having trouble dredging up an example. A slightly worn cast iron pan that has been well seasoned vs. a shiny new one, perhaps?

The experienced noncoms who run the military vs. freshly minted officers from OCS?

A lot of these have problematic age connotations but that's all I got.
posted by Wretch729 at 7:45 AM on September 15, 2015

School of hard knocks?
posted by hwyengr at 7:53 AM on September 15, 2015

Self-taught?
posted by tomboko at 7:54 AM on September 15, 2015

Field-tested
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 7:56 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

I recently wrote a recommendation letter wherein I told the story of somebody who began as an apprentice in our team, and who then rose to the level of a widely respected master craftsman.
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 8:00 AM on September 15, 2015

Response by poster: I'm hoping for something a little more on the comparative side.

The boot analogy is decent, but the age connotation is a bit problematic. Some of the people who have advanced degrees have some solid experience as well. Not everyone with an advanced degree got all their education out of the way up front.

The metaphors/analogies you guys come up with don't have to be existing ones either. You can be creative and come up with new ideas. :)
posted by purefusion at 8:04 AM on September 15, 2015

Practical, self-taught and self-starter are all adjectives with a positive connotation. He can also state that his knowledge is concrete, rather than abstract.
posted by puddledork at 8:17 AM on September 15, 2015

Some officers learned in academy, some officers learned in battle. Both have something valuable to offer.

Grizzled veteran.

Battle-tested (optionally, "scars to prove it").

Lifelong learner.

Experienced enough to have made (and learned from) most of the unexpected hiccups out there.
posted by milqman at 8:23 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

A blade of simple steel. Not so fancy as the bright imports with gilded hilts. Cared for well, and sharpened many times over the years. It seems to know where to cut of it's own accord.

A journal filled with the notes of daily life. Perhaps not so broadly discursive as the reference books beside it, but perfectly tuned to the time and place.
posted by meinvt at 8:28 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

Native speakers versus secondary learners of that language?
posted by teremala at 8:58 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

Perhaps something to do with different kinds of learners: visual, verbal, kinetic. Degrees are great for visual and verbal learners (think big lecture halls), but even big lectures break out into projects and labs to learn by experience. Research is repeating experience with slight variations in conditions to see what matters and what doesn't.
posted by JawnBigboote at 9:23 AM on September 15, 2015

Response by poster: These are great! Keep em coming!
posted by purefusion at 9:26 AM on September 15, 2015

I have said this: "Dude has *lots* of informal experience in a range of practical applications. He can pick up the theory as we go."
posted by j_curiouser at 9:29 AM on September 15, 2015

Maybe a little analogous to the cultural authority held by residents of a culture as opposed to diplomats to that culture.
posted by wintersweet at 10:31 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

As an entirely self-taught software engineer myself, I've used language like "strong track record in shipping robust, secure web and software applications used by millions of users".

I am a strong believer that tangible benefits and numbers trump metaphors any day - if your candidate did any kind of real-world work, just add up dollars or heads or eyeballs or widgets or what have you, and list some immediately recognizable benefits. Hirers in technical fields like to use plain, unadorned language, and tend to appreciate numbers over metaphors.
posted by rada at 11:08 AM on September 15, 2015 [2 favorites]

A graduate of the University of Life in their chosen field.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 11:45 AM on September 15, 2015

"Equivalent experience," as in, jobs often ask for a degree or equivalent experience.
posted by Violet Hour at 2:56 PM on September 15, 2015

All cattle, no hat.
posted by lakeroon at 5:23 PM on September 15, 2015 [2 favorites]

s/he's a real Oliver Heaviside. (vs. Edward Whitehouse who fried the first trans-atlantic cable). Comparison of Electrical Engineering of Heavisides Times and Software Engineering of Our Times

Wilbur Wright

This List of autodidacts has some good examples.
posted by at at 8:33 PM on September 16, 2015 [2 favorites]