3-5 Years Experience

I’ve been thinking a lot about the word “experience.”

Do you have experience taking care of a dog? Does the candidate have enough experience in politics? Do you have at least 3 to 5 years experience working in a specific role? I think it’s fair to say these are questions we hear a lot: whether telling your parents that you - an adult - want to get a dog and they start questioning you, a person newer to politics is running for office, you’re applying for a job you know you can work but the requirements are unbearably specific, etc etc.

Because we are a dog-based company, I’ll keep this to dogs as much as possible. But, you can take the thought to any field if you’d like. 

I grew up with a dog. I took care of friends’ dogs and family’s dogs. I’ve played with dogs when I’ve been a guest at a house. I have had a lot of experience with dogs. So, when it came time to rescue Eddie I thought: well, I have a lot of on-paper experience so I am definitely ready for this role.

Well, the day before we rescued him, we were told he had to get multiple teeth removed and we would have to administer multiple forms of medication to him - something I didn’t have a ton of experience in. We also realized he probably wasn’t super leash trained and pulled a lot on the leash - something else I wasn’t experienced with. He was also reactive - not aggressive but afraid of new people and new dogs. I hadn’t taken care of a dog like that so, once again, lacked experience. And, it had been years since I lived with a dog. So, it occurred to me that maybe, on paper, I wasn’t ready. Maybe I didn’t have the “3 to 5 years” experience needed.

For some reason, it feels like we as a society are always pushing for a very specific experience for a very specific role. As though it’s an exact equation that is sure to create an exact outcome. But, our role specific expectations of experience might not actually be what the role needs. Sure, someone may have 5 years of experience with a role but does that make them better or more right in this exact instance? It might be personality traits, lifestyle, willingness to learn, etc that allows a person to thrive over someone who just matches with experience written on paper. There might be a skillset that was not being asked for but it turned out that was the exact skillset that was needed.

In this case, I had spent a lot of time with a lot of different dogs  - but not Eddie. So, on paper, for Eddie, I didn’t have a ton of experience. But, it ended up being ok though because I reminded myself that I did have experience in other things that helped me be a better guardian of my little stinky guy, alongside Natalie. We used our ability to do research and found a dog training company and a vet that worked for us, we shared stories with friends and family, we asked a lot of questions, we advocated for little Ed, we accepted that the journey with little Ed would not be linear, rather constantly evolving and growing, and we learned that the most important experience was valuing and practicing community, patience, and love.

Everything turned out great! Eddie trusts us, we trust him, Eddie is safe and healthy, and the three of us live a very loving and fulfilling life.

Anyway, I understand the concern around experience… but jobs/roles can be taught - people’s character and life experience can’t. And, oftentimes, there is a team assisting a role. If I had applied for this as though it were a job, I may have not gotten the job - even though I would have thrived in the role.

Maybe it’s time to question the conversation around experience.