Donkeys and Horses and Ways of the world

Some how in many industries it appears that "number of years" put in matter more than what a person could do. This makes me think industries are mostly oblivious to the fact that with age a donkey/mule does not become a race horse. It just becomes a very old donkey/mule. So it is important to understand
a. whether it was originally a donkey or a horse
b. has it been used to fight wars or has it been used to lug the dirty linen
I believe this donkey becoming a horse mentality is very much true of the "knowledge work" industry.