There are many ways to get experience but they all have one thing in common: time. You cannot gain experience without putting in the time. Some people may be able to get there faster, but it still takes time.
Some people choose to traverse through the levels by getting a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and then Ph.D. They spend their time exploring a specific topic with experts and spending their time trying to advance not just their own understanding, but that of others.
Others spend their time working and become practical experts. They spend time within their particular field learning the day-to-day nuances. Their knowledge will include less of the book-learned aspects but they will understand how to apply those aspects in the real world. Depending on the actual job, this process can be quick or take a long, long time.
Then there is the middle ground of people who get a good degree of education and balance it with the practical day-to-day. As with the practical experts, the majority of experience comes from quality experience in their practical side. Sometimes balance is good, sometimes not so much.
None of these three paths guarantee that you get the best experience. You can get the best education from MIT, Harvard, or Yale but without valuable practical experience your knowledge will struggle to translate outside of research. Even if they pursue consulting, practical experience is the only way to ensure their solutions are implementable.
All paths require time. You cannot get anywhere without it.