LANSING, Mich. (AP) — One out of every five Michigan lawmakers doesn’t have a formal degree in higher education.

The finding comes through research by The Detroit News. Those without degrees include state Sen. Tom Casperson, who is in his second term in the Senate after serving three terms in the state House.

The Republican from Escanaba says life experience “is as deeply as important” as higher education. Casperson started working in his father’s log trucking business when he was 11, and owned the business before starting in politics.

Eastern Michigan University professor Ed Sidlow says lawmakers without college degrees can be at a disadvantage, saying the experience helps people think systematically.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 34 percent of Americans age 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s degree in 2014, up from 23 percent in 1990.