Is years of experience a good measure of someone's talent?

depends!!!!

I don't let anyone cut my hair if they have UNDER 7 years of experience.

I've met a massage Practitioner that was 8 years experienced and I literally stopped the massage because the f#@*er was hurting me -and he even graduated from Brian Utting.

I kicked serious ass when I first got out of school but the same people who got massage from me then would probably not like my massage NOW because it's "gotten lighter." I used to administer massage with an iron fist. Now I'm not so brutal -but I did and still do effective work for those who see me.

This is a question of perfect timing. I think whatever work needs to happen - it will be perfect for the 2 souls who are giving and receiving the work that's being done, regardless of experience or lack thereof

Man, I really like the thoughts provoked by this thread.

Here's another personal example about experience. I refuse to go to dentists who are babyboomers or older. I've found their techniques to be out of date, and of the 7 or 8 dentists I've seen, everybody who was over 40 was jaded and preachy.

The same thing with doctors. In the case of a tonsilectomy I had three years back.. My family doctor, and two other general practitioners had commented many times that I should have my tonsils out, but none of them would actually make it happen. They were too weary of the insurance implications.. I finally got on a PPO, started trying out ENTs, found one who was young and basically said "It's criminal that they haven't been removed".

Two weeks later my tonsils were gone, and I haven't had a throat infection since, let alone the debilitating strep throat I used to get twice a year. I literally suffered 2-3 weeks a year for a decade because of older doctors either afraid of paperwork, or afraid of fighting back against insurance companies who tried to dictate cheaper (less effective) antibiotic treatments.

Experience? It just means you've been at it for a long time. Fidel has been dictator for 47 years, would you hire him as your country's leader? He's experienced.