[mathattack]

Very true. It takes projects to separate what's needed versus what's purely academic. Projects also force you to learn what isn't taught, and to open the hidden doors in the technologies that you're using.

Similar with your analogy - For a marketing position, I would rather hire an English major with 2 years brand management experience at P&G than an MBA who has never worked in Marketing.

[esharef]

I had read a lot of marketing books and watched videos. Then I tried making my first Google Ad. I lost hundreds of dollars. Actually doing stuff is very humbling because you realize how little you know.

[mathattack]

I highly value education, but nothing beats jumping into the mix.