'Education or experience: which is more important for working in Germany

In Germany, both a degree and work experience are important, but their relative weight depends on the profession. For regulated professions, you cannot work without recognition of your qualifications or professional licensure. For most unregulated office, commercial, technical, and creative roles, employers typically look at current work experience, skills, language proficiency, a portfolio, and the ability to perform tasks. For citizens of non-EU countries, visa requirements come into play separately: experience or a degree alone may not be sufficient without a valid basis for a residence permit.

Short Answer

If you have a relevant degree and recent experience in the same field, that’s the strongest combination. If your degree is outdated or in a different field, but you’ve been working in your current profession in recent years, employers often prioritize experience. If the profession is regulated, they first verify your eligibility to work in that profession in Germany, and only then do they consider your experience and personal qualities.

The rule of thumb is as follows:

Regulated professions—first, recognition of qualifications, authorization, or a professional license;
Unregulated professions — relevant experience, skills, German or English language proficiency, references, and the outcome of the interview are the deciding factors;
IT and digital: a degree is helpful, but experience, projects, and a technical interview are often more important;
Creative professions — a portfolio may carry more weight than formal education;
Changing careers requires a bridge: courses, an internship, Umschulung, a junior position, or a related role.

How German Employers View a Degree

In Germany, a degree is seen as proof of basic training, discipline, and the ability to learn. However, this does not always mean that you need to look for a job strictly based on the major listed on your degree.

For example, someone with a degree in economics and several years of experience in logistics may be more attractive to an employer as a logistics specialist than as an economist without recent practical experience. The degree itself isn’t wasted, however: it can strengthen a resume if it demonstrates analytical thinking, proficiency with numbers, or industry knowledge.

It is important to distinguish between three situations:

Situation	What Matters Most	How to Structure Your Search
Degree and experience match	Both degree and experience	Show career trajectory, achievements, and verified qualifications
A degree in one field, recent experience in another	Experience	Look for a job based on your actual skills, and present your degree as an added bonus
You have a degree, but your experience in that field is outdated	Updating your qualifications	Get back on track through courses, projects, internships, a master’s program, or a related position

Regulated professions: when a degree is required

Regulated professions are fields in which access to work is legally tied to a specific qualification, degree recognition, or professional license. In Germany, this is particularly important in medicine, nursing, education, law, certain engineering and architectural fields, as well as in some skilled trades.

Such professions may include:

doctors, pharmacists, psychotherapists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals;
teachers, educators, and certain social service professions;
lawyers and notaries;
architects and certain engineering roles with protected professional status;
certain professions in transportation and skilled trades.

If the profession is regulated, experience alone does not replace “Anerkennung”—the procedure for recognizing foreign professional qualifications. The competent authority compares your training with the German reference occupation and issues a Bescheid—a decision on full recognition, significant differences, or rejection. In some cases, differences can be bridged through an Anpassungslehrgang, a Kenntnisprüfung, or other compensatory measures.

The reasoning that “I have 20 years of experience, so I don’t need a degree” is risky here. Experience can help with the recognition process, but it does not waive the requirement for professional licensing if the profession is protected by law.

Unregulated professions: experience often carries more weight than the degree title

For most commercial, office, manufacturing, marketing, logistics, analytical, and digital roles, recognition of a foreign degree is not usually a mandatory requirement for the job itself. The employer assesses whether you will be able to perform the tasks required for a specific position.

In practice, the following are important:

recent relevant projects and responsibilities;
a clear resume tailored to the German job market;
the language proficiency required specifically for this role;
industry-specific tools and certifications;
recommendations, a portfolio, Arbeitszeugnisse, or other evidence of achievement;
a willingness to explain career transitions between fields without any gaps in your work history.

If you’ve been working in one field for the past 5–7 years but received a degree in another, it’s usually wiser to look for a job based on your actual experience. You can use your degree as a supporting factor, but not as the main focus of your job search.

IT: A degree is helpful, but not always decisive

In IT, it’s not accurate to say that a degree is “completely unimportant.” For some employers and visa options, it can be helpful. However, in development, data, DevOps, QA, product, cybersecurity, and related digital roles, your tech stack, experience, projects, GitHub or portfolio, technical interview performance, and ability to work in a team are of great importance.

For candidates from non-EU countries, there is a specific consideration: an employer may be willing to hire a specialist without a relevant degree, but a suitable residence permit is required to relocate or change immigration status. According to official information from Make it in Germany, there are various pathways for IT specialists: the EU Blue Card for recognized qualifications or, under certain conditions, for experience in a similar profession; a work residence permit for qualified specialists; and an option for experienced professionals. For experienced IT specialists, a special provision may waive the requirement for formal proof of qualifications, but requirements regarding experience, a job offer, and other conditions still apply.

Therefore, the strategy for IT must be twofold:

For the employer: demonstrate skills, projects, business experience, and the outcome of the interview;
For a residence permit: check whether a specific visa route is suitable for your qualifications, experience, salary, and job offer.

Creative professions: a portfolio speaks louder than a degree

In design, illustration, photography, video editing, UX/UI, motion graphics, content creation, and certain areas of creative tech, a portfolio is often more important than the name of your degree. An employer or client wants to see the quality of your work, your aesthetic sensibility, the technical tools you use, and your ability to solve business problems.

A strong portfolio for Germany is best built not as a gallery of pretty pictures, but as a collection of case studies:

the client’s or project’s requirements;
your role and area of responsibility;
tools and limitations;
results, metrics, or practical impact;
a link to a live project, if available.

If you plan to work independently, you’ll need to check visa options for freelancing, the arts, or self-employment separately: requirements depend on the city, type of activity, financial plan, clients, and documents.

When to Look for a Job Based on Experience Rather Than a Degree

Look for a job based on your experience if:

You have consistently worked in the same field in recent years;
Can you demonstrate specific results, projects, or achievements?
A degree in a different field does not prevent you from explaining your career path;
The position is not classified as a regulated profession;
The employer’s requirements refer to “skills” and “experience,” not to a strictly regulated professional license.

Example: You have a degree in economics, but in recent years you’ve been working in logistics. To a German employer, you’re first and foremost a candidate for a logistics position. An economics degree can be an asset for roles in analytics, procurement, supply chain management, budget management, or technical sales, but it shouldn’t be the sole focus of your job search.

When to Update Your Qualifications

A degree and past experience lose their value if the industry has changed over the years—including tools, standards, laws, software, work methods, and employer expectations. This is particularly noticeable in marketing, IT, finance, engineering, HR, project management, and regulated sectors.

The following factors can help you return to your previous field of study:

comprehensive continuing education (Weiterbildung) programs;
a master’s degree or Zertifikatsstudium, if an academic bridge program is required;
Umschulung, when a new professional qualification is required;
an internship, Werkstudent/Praktikum, or entry-level position;
project work that can be included in your resume.

A short 1- to 2-month course can be useful for refreshing your skills, but it rarely makes up for a multi-year gap in your professional career. It’s best to use it as part of a strategy, rather than as the sole proof of new qualifications.

Career Change: How to Explain Mixed Experience

A mixed background isn’t necessarily a problem. In Germany, you need to explain it systematically: not “I’ve tried different things,” but “I have a set of skills that are suitable for this role.”

Workflow:

Select your target profession or 2–3 related roles.
Review the job postings and list the recurring requirements.
Compare the requirements with your experience, projects, and education.
Fill in the gaps with courses, a portfolio, an internship, or a practical project.
Tailor your resume to the specific role you’re applying for, rather than including your entire work history at once.
In your cover letter, explain how your transition will benefit the employer.

For example, a lawyer who wants to transition into IT can start not only with programming from scratch but also with roles in legal tech, compliance, data protection, contract management software, or product development within legal services. This way, their previous degree becomes an advantage rather than a “superfluous” line on their resume.

The Visa Factor for Candidates from Non-EU Countries

If you are not an EU citizen, the question of “degree or experience” cannot be separated from your immigration grounds. To work in Germany, you usually need an appropriate residence title: for example, an EU Blue Card, a work residence permit for highly qualified professionals, a residence permit for experienced professionals, a recognition partnership, or another route.

In 2026, for the “Make it in Germany” visa for professionally experienced workers, the requirements include a qualification recognized in the country of origin, at least two years of relevant professional experience within the last five years, a specific job offer in an unregulated profession, and a minimum salary threshold. A special rule applies to the IT sector, under which a formal qualification may not be required, but the other conditions must be verified according to the current guidelines.

This means: even if a German company is willing to hire you, before signing a contract, you should check the visa process, the recognition (Anerkennung) or evaluation of your degree through anabin/ZAB, salary requirements, and the employer’s documentation.

How to Choose a Job Search Strategy

Use this logic:

If you want to work as a doctor, teacher, nurse, lawyer, architect, or in another regulated profession—start by checking the Anerkennung process and the state’s requirements;
If you have recent work experience but a different degree, structure your resume around your experience and achievements;
If you have a relevant degree but your experience is outdated, include training, projects, and a realistic entry-level position;
If you want to work in IT, prepare proof of your skills and check your visa options at the same time;
If you’re interested in a creative field, create portfolio case studies and check the employment format;
If you’re not sure which category you fall into, list your skills, identify overlaps, and apply to several similar job openings.

Common Mistakes

Looking for a job based solely on your degree, while ignoring your recent years of actual work experience.
Submitting the same resume for all job openings without tailoring it to the specific role.
Do not classify a profession as regulated or unregulated based on a rough estimate.
Assuming that a short course automatically equates to a new profession.
Promising an employer that there “definitely won’t be any problems” with the visa without checking the requirements.
Hiding a career transition instead of explaining it in terms of your skills and how you can contribute.

FAQ

Is it possible to work in Germany without a degree?

Yes, if the profession is unregulated and the employer considers your experience suitable. For non-EU citizens, a residence permit authorizing such work is also required.

Is it possible to get a job in IT without an IT degree?

Sometimes yes, especially with strong work experience and a job offer. However, to relocate or change your status, you need to check the visa requirements separately: work experience, salary, qualifications, type of contract, and the conditions of the specific residence permit.

Is it necessary to have a degree recognized for any job?

No. Recognition is required primarily for regulated professions. For unregulated professions, it may assist the employer or the visa process, but it is not always a mandatory requirement for employment.

What should you do if your degree is outdated?

Don’t base your job search solely on an old degree. It’s better to update your qualifications, compile a portfolio of projects, choose a related role, or start in a lower-level position if that helps you return to the profession.

What’s more important to an employer: a degree or experience?

For regulated professions, documentation and the right to work are the top priorities. For most other roles, it’s more important to demonstrate current skills, results, and relevant experience. The most effective approach is a combination of a clear degree, recent work experience, and a well-presented resume.