experienced

This word carries a heavy weight of reliability and competence. It suggests a person who has not only studied a subject but has survived the actual trials and errors of the field. It is a positive professional attribute often used in hiring contexts to signal that a person requires little training. While similar to skilled, experienced specifically emphasizes the passage of time and the accumulation of diverse scenarios. A person can be skilled through a short, intense course, but they are only experienced after they have dealt with the unpredictable nature of real-world application over many years.