Why IIT Isn’t the Only Path to Success
From a young age, we are taught that becoming an IITian is the ultimate measure of success. This belief is deeply flawed. If IIT were truly the hub of employment, 38% of IITians wouldn’t be unemployed. My question to the system, which seems designed to lead to unemployment, is: Why do I need to study Physics, Chemistry, and Maths to get into the Computer Science branch, which is completely unrelated to these subjects? Why must I torture my body and mind for a stream I am passionate about? Why study Inorganic and Organic Chemistry when I don’t like chemistry at all?
The “Monkey See, Monkey Do” Syndrome
Consider this: 97% of the tasks we do are because everyone else is doing them around us. Why must I be a monkey, wasting two years on a college that ranks 350th in the world? If the top 50 colleges aren’t conducting the so-called “toughest exam in the world,” why do we need to crack that exam? It’s a system, and we are trapped in it
Truths
Let me break it down for you:
- You go to school and get good grades.
- You start preparing for IIT and pay 2.5 lakhs to a coaching institute.
- You are convinced to study for 15+ hours on irrelevant numerical that have no real-world significance.
- You get into your dream college, then your father takes a loan to pay your fees
What happens next? You face immense pressure and high expectations, and you might end up unemployed. You studied PCM and now have to shift to coding, which is a whole new challenge. If you can’t make the shift, you are unemployed. What’s your fault? You did nothing wrong, but you couldn’t follow the traditional system, so you are doomed!
The Reality of Skills vs. Theoretical Knowledge
A third-tier college graduate might get higher pay in remote jobs because he knows his craft. He might not know how to solve numericals, but he knows how to build a responsive website or an AI application. On the other hand, you might become a teacher in a coaching institute, solving numericals for the rest of your life. Why? Because you are conditioned to think like this.
The Myth of the IITian Success Story
The top 1% richest men in the world didn’t necessarily crack JEE and get an IIT degree to achieve their success. Society tells you to be like them, but does society have a million dollars in the bank? No, they are often struggling financially.
Did Elon Musk do JEE? Did Jeff Bezos do JEE? Did any superstar or successful entrepreneur take JEE?
Fact: An illiterate YouTuber could earn more than a CS graduate
The system wants us to be slaves forever because we lack independent thinking. We can’t think and question, so we end up working under those who do. That’s the reality, whether you accept it or not.
Why don’t schools and colleges teach us sports, musical instruments, acting, sales, marketing, independent thinking, or leadership?
A Simple Task for Reflection
Think of any business person, celeb, sportsperson, or super successful person in the world. Look at what they studied and how much independence they have now. Did they study the exceptions of inorganic chemistry? Why did people in ancient times come to study in India? We pioneered the mentor-mentee relationship (Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya), taught real-world practical skills, and prepared people for real challenges.
Challenge : Can you make a single penny by just studying irrelevant garbage that has no significance?
Fundamental Truths of Life
- Calculus can’t teach you how to deal with people.
- The periodic table can’t teach you how to lead people.
- Atomic structure won’t teach you how to sell anything.
- Newton’s laws won’t teach you how to code.
-Algebra won’t teach you how to start a business.
Brain Teaser
If a 16-year-old can code better than a 26-year-old IIT graduate, think about how easy it is for that 16-year-old to surpass the 26-year-old IITian.
My advice for the young people in my age group:
- Gain skills.
- Learn to question.
- Learn to lead.
I am leaving this rat race in 11th grade. Thank God I never joined any institution for JEE preparation