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The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
21–30 of 93 posts
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#22[deleted]
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Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#23Really loved the article Ashwin. So true. Specially the para:
For some reasons, Indians just can’t deal with the fact that someone without pedigree can get somewhere in life. It’s unbelievable that you can be a good programmer, successful businessman or great marketer without an {insert random college degree here}.
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#24Firstly being entrepreneur and going to college are not orthogonal goals. Secondly for any poor person in India, without any funding or support. No infrastructure, no exposure and having to fight a historic burden of poverty in the family. Not getting a college education means, the guy will eventually end up working at a tailor's shop or a garage or driver. Working whole life only to hope his son breaks of the cycle…
The reason for emphasis on education in India is because for most families getting their children educated and a job is the least risk way to have a better life style. The author seems to conveniently forget that most Indian family cannot afford a computer, let alone one with internet. Even if their parent make it available to their children, that would have cost an arm and leg for them. The risk of not going to college and getting into business is something they cannot afford, because a failure in this case would follow them till death. The author seems to be of the view that others are narrow minded, while he himself is not able to see beyond his situation. Congrats for succeeding without a college degree, but do not go about belittling others (especially his teachers!), for they know the ground realities better. As kamaal said using the money from job to bootstrap is the best way for many youngsters from my generation at least.
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#25Firstly being entrepreneur and going to college are not orthogonal goals. Secondly for any poor person in India, without any funding or support. No infrastructure, no exposure and having to fight a historic burden of poverty in the family. Not getting a college education means, the guy will eventually end up working at a tailor's shop or a garage or driver. Working whole life only to hope his son breaks of the cycle…
> For a lower middle class person such a failure means, the end of life. Full Stop! Because the debts will drown you till you reach your grave.
Debts? Does India not have limited-liability corporations? In rational countries, when your business idea fails, you just throw away the company and start another.
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#26Speaking as Pakistani in his early twenties, I can confirm that I get asked many of the same questions. I have a B.S. in Computer Science right now, but frequently get asked "When are you getting your MBA?" by family members. I hate how the question always implies that I will undoubtedly be pursuing one.
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#27Indian here but on the other side of this. Got MS, MBA, and currently thinking about Doctorate. May or may-not do a startup.
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#28Firstly being entrepreneur and going to college are not orthogonal goals. Secondly for any poor person in India, without any funding or support. No infrastructure, no exposure and having to fight a historic burden of poverty in the family. Not getting a college education means, the guy will eventually end up working at a tailor's shop or a garage or driver. Working whole life only to hope his son breaks of the cycle…
>> Getting a decent "education" is the easiest way to get a job The traditional education system WAS the easiest way to get a job. Nowadays, it is the easiest way NOT to get a job. Step 1: Download the 10 books x 4 (years) = 40 books of the average university degree. Step 2: Unless it's mathematics, it is just literature. Read it. Step 3: Sit the 10 x 4 exams at an online college. In most developed countries, you hav…
you have clearly never lived in india. you absolutely need a college degree to be even considered for most decent jobs.
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#29I see college as a learning place. A place where you learn about everything but study topics. College is the place where I met my co-founder.
It is really a great place where you can meet new talented people, learn how to work in a team. Its a place where you can have fights, fall and learn again.
It is the place where you learn to present your Idea by presenting it among your friends first. They can help if you lack something. This kind of things are usually not very easy in the outside world. Because the outside world is busy competing with you.
You meet so many types of people that you learn to categories the people. What kind of people are A Grade and what kind are B grade. This helps you to when you will start hiring.
You say going to college is not worth it. Well another big problem with our thinking is that we think that college is just to learn the "courses". Well its not. Its a lot more than that. I am also a student in one of the most reputable colleges in India, but the way I think, learning is just a state of mind, place doesn't matter. I myself use to think that i have wasted my 4 years learning computer science, that I could have learnt all this in just a year and a half, but today as I am trying to build my startup, I understand that this all connect dots. Even I am not interested in grades at all, but i never stop working on my startup.
So, As I see it, college is like a big sand ground, where you can fall, again and again, and learn to fight. And all this without hurting yourself.
Re: The Indian and his insatiable appetite for the college degree
#30The fact that a formal engineering/MBA education isn't a prerequisite for business success is almost a tautology now, especially among software startups. So there is nothing new here.
There are some half-truths though:
> For some reasons, Indians just can’t deal with the fact that someone without pedigree can get somewhere in life.
- Airtel, India's largest telecom company, was started by Sunil Mittal, armed with just a Bachelor of Arts degree from a second-rung university.
- Reliance Industries, India's largest private conglomerate, was started by Dhirubhai Ambani, had no college degree.
- The Zee TV group, one of India's largest media and entertainment conglomerates, was started by Subhash Chandra, who dropped out of school after class 12.
- There are many more multi-billion dollar enterprises like Adani and Sobha, that were founded by entrepreneurs without college degrees.
- Quickheal, India's largest anti-virus company, was founded by Kailash Katkar, never studied after school.
- Maxx Mobile, one of the leading low-cost phone makers in India was founded by Ajay Agarwal, a class 9 dropout.
I could go on.
By insisting that Indians "just can't deal with entrepreneurs without pedigree", the author is at best being disingenuous, or at worst slaying a straw man only to elevate his own achievements.
Finally, the stereotyping in the linkbait title, "The Indian and his insatiable..." doesn't help. As others have already pointed out, people (not just Indians, but around the world) make career/education choices in response to the financial/cultural environment around them.
To the average middle-class parents who grew up dealing with scarcity, low incomes, corruption and limited opportunities, the "multi-national job" represents stability, meritocracy, global opportunities and a respectable income.
There really is no reason to belittle them for their choices.