Educated unemployment

Educated Unemployment

Educated Unemployment

My dear friends,

Today, we are going to discuss a topic that is deeply impacting the future of our society — the value of education and the unemployment crisis among educated youth. Receiving an education is considered a great achievement in our country, but unfortunately, educated individuals are facing tremendous difficulties in finding employment these days.

In the current times, while new employment opportunities have emerged on one hand, it has become increasingly difficult for educated youth to find jobs matching their qualifications on the other hand. We see MBA graduates selling tea and BTech degree holders starting YouTube channels. This situation indicates that the connection between education and employment has weakened.

The main reason behind this problem is our perspective towards education. Nowadays, when we talk about education, the common question that often arises is, “How much will the job pay after this?” This mindset not only undermines the value of education but also misguides the youth in the wrong direction.

There are some people who look at a student preparing for exams, going to college, and then getting a job where they initially earn only around 60,000 rupees per month. On the other hand, a shopkeeper or a street vendor is earning over 1 lakh rupees. In such cases, their thinking becomes, “What is the point of studying so much?”

My dear friends, this way of thinking is completely wrong. The value of education is not limited to just earning money. Education provides us with knowledge, shapes our personalities, and helps us become better human beings. The purpose of education is not only to secure employment but also to develop the inherent potential within us.

Yes, financial stability is important, but it should not be the sole purpose of education. The value of education lies in its ability to provide us with new ideas, broaden our thinking, and inspire us to do something good for society.

In today’s times, when we talk about personal success, the common perception is that success means earning millions or crores of rupees. But my friends, this thinking is very narrow-minded. True success means being content with your life and bringing positive change to the lives of those around you.

Therefore, I urge all of you not to view education as merely a means of earning money. Education is a medium that helps us recognize and develop our abilities. Education opens new opportunities for us and enables us to create something new and better for society.

Let us all come together and strive to change this mindset and give education its due respect. Education not only contributes to our personal growth but also plays a crucial role in the development of our nation.

Here, I would like to present some statistics and facts that highlight the severity of this problem:

- The unemployment rate in India is around 7.83%, while for educated youth, it stands at a staggering 18.4%. This means that educated young people are more likely to be unemployed.

- According to a study by Azim Premji University, in 2021, the unemployment rate for graduates aged 20–24 years was over 36%. For those aged 25–29 years, the rate was nearly 17%.

- Compared to global superpowers like China and the United States, the rate of educated unemployment in India is significantly higher. In the U.S., the unemployment rate for college graduates over 25 years old was just 3.5% in 2021.

- In China, the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was only 3.75% in 2021, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

These alarming statistics clearly illustrate the gravity of the educated unemployment crisis in our country.

My young friends, I understand the frustration and disillusionment you may feel when you see someone with relatively little education earning more money than you expected to make after years of dedicated study. It can be deeply demoralizing and lead you to question the value of all your hard work and sacrifices. The temptation to abandon your aspirations for a more prestigious career and instead opt for a quicker path to wealth through entrepreneurship or running a small business becomes very strong.

However, I urge you not to fall into the trap of measuring success solely by monetary terms. While financial stability is undoubtedly important, it should not be the be-all and end-all of your life’s purpose. Education is about so much more than just securing a well-paying job. It is about nourishing your mind, expanding your horizons, and developing the intellectual and creative faculties that truly make us human.

When you receive a quality education, you gain invaluable tools — critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, effective communication skills, and a broad understanding of the world around you. These tools empower you to not just be a cog in a machine, but to question norms, challenge assumptions, and pioneer innovative solutions that can uplift society as a whole.

Yes, there may be scenarios where someone with far less formal education is making more money than you at this stage. But I implore you to keep the bigger picture in mind. Those wealthy entrepreneurs and business owners you may envy (a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck) did not become successful overnight through some shortcut or by rejecting education entirely. Behind the scenes, their enterprises rely on highly educated, skilled professionals across all levels to actually design, operate and sustain those profitable businesses.

The true path to lasting, meaningful success lies in fully developing your talents and putting your education to its highest use for the betterment of humanity. Do not be disheartened by temporary disparities in income. Judge your self-worth not by your bank balance, but by the positive impact you can have on the world through your accumulated knowledge and creative potential.

This is not to say that entrepreneurship is inherently unworthy or that you should simply resign yourself to being an employee forever. By all means, if you have a brilliant business idea, chase that dream wholeheartedly. However, do it armed with the incredible advantages that a comprehensive, rigorous education provides — from cultivating an innovative mindset, to conducting market research, to managing teams, to thinking strategically. Utilize your education as rocket fuel for your entrepreneurial ambitions, not discard it.

India needs all of you — our educated youth — firing on all cylinders with your immense reserves of energy, passion, and idealism. We cannot afford to have your motivation sapped by the hollow, toxic narrative that money is the sole determinant of success and self-worth.

Instead, we must uplift education for what it truly is — a noble journey of intellectual awakening that transcends the material world. We must teach ourselves and future generations to measure achievement by the boundaries we push, the problems we solve, the positive change we contribute to society’s progress.

When you follow your passions fueled by the power of knowledge, material wealth may or may not accrue, but you will assuredly live a life of purpose, meaning and fulfillment. And is that not the greatest success one could hope for?

The future of our nation, my young friends, rests on your shoulders. If you succumb to the korma being peddled by those who diminish education as a means to an end, we will waste our immense potential as a society. However, if you boldly move forward armed with the light of learning and the moral conviction that serving humanity is the highest calling, you can uplift India to dizzying new heights of accomplishment and enlightenment.

I have full faith that this generation has the courage and foresight to reject regressive mindsets and redefine what it means to lead a truly successful life. Each of you has a precious opportunity to leverage your education for the greater good of all — to be the authors of a new narrative that prizes knowledge, wisdom and human flourishing above all else.

So I leave you with this impassioned plea: Never forget the transformative power of the education you have received. Honor it, wield it as a force for positive change, and let it be the beacon that guides you towards your greatest possible impact on this world.

The choice is yours to make — the road towards a life of shallow, fleeting indulgences or one of profound meaning that leaves an indelible legacy of human upliftment. I know that when called to that highest purpose, this generation will make the right choice to illuminate the path forward for our nation and beyond. The future remains unwritten — go forth and inscribe it with your daring, wisdom and resolve to create a truly successful world.

Thank you, and I wish you all the greatest of success always! Jai Hind!