One Bhopal resident, 25-year-old Tanmay Mandal, paid $4,000 for his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He was convinced the degree was most useless degree in india a pathway to a good job and a better lifestyle. He wasn’t deterred by the fees that were high for his family, which has a monthly income of only $420. Despite the cost, Mr Mandal says he ended up learning almost nothing about construction from teachers who appeared to have insufficient training themselves. He couldn’t answer technical questions at job interviews, and has been unemployed for the last three years.
Higher education has often sparked controversy globally, including in the US, where for-profit institutions have faced government investigations. Yet the complexities of education are acutely on show in India. Journalism turned out to be the most regretted college degree while computer and information science degrees, and criminology degrees were the most satisfying. Immediately a month later I join the casino industry as a surveillance officer (best professional decision till date). Perform well at the job, heck there was a btech guy and another guy with an mba that were fired from the job in 3 months because they couldn’t handle the stress and irregular work timings and I’m still here. But the business wasn’t going very well so my biss couldn’t pay me for a few months, joined a pharma company to make up for the financial requirements.
Other regretted college degrees are sociology and liberal arts. Degrees which are appreciated include STEM fields including engineering and medical, and others such as finance and psychology. In today’s fast-evolving job market, many employees find their college degrees irrelevant and find the need to add on a number of online courses to upskill themselves. A recent ZipRecruiter survey conducted on 1500 job seekers found that 44% regretted their choice of college major or the honours degree. College degrees may not often turn out to be the best decision one rejoices throughout their life. While many are found doing jobs that does not match their college major degree, many are found padding up with plethora of professional or technical degrees to find better living with higher pay.
Experienced college grads earn an average of $56,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $65,000 a year, on average. Experienced college grads earn an average of $44,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $58,000 a year, on average. Experienced college grads earn an average of $91,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $104,000 a year, on average. Experienced college grads earn an average of $104,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $118,000 a year, on average. Experienced college grads earn an average of $63,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $75,000 a year, on average.
While institutions publicize campus placement to students, many aren’t able to fulfill the promise. In 2017, one institution in the eastern state of Odisha gave fake job offers during campus placements leading to protests by students. Around the world, students are increasingly pondering the returns on a degree versus the cost.
Worthless Degrees Are Creating an Unemployable Generation in India
Got hired as a graphic designer and since the pandemic struck already, majority of the work was done from home. Pankaj Tiwari, 28, says he paid Rs 1,00,000 for a master’s degree in digital communication because he wanted a job and higher status in society. That was a big outlay for his family, which has an annual income of Rs 4,00,000. Though his college had promised campus placements, no company turned up and he’s still unemployed four years later. So dear Indians, which degree (undergraduate or postgraduate) do you think is the most useless? Useless here means low returns after completing graduation, scarcity of jobs for the given degree etc.
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- While many are found doing jobs that does not match their college major degree, many are found padding up with plethora of professional or technical degrees to find better living with higher pay.
- Following the millennia old tradition of India, this forum promotes freedom of speech, plurality and open dialogue.
- While top programmers still enjoy superstar status, India is now a leading producer of unemployable engineers.
- Still, students could be seen flooding into several of RKDF’s institutions in Bhopal.
- Desperate to get ahead, some of these young people are paying for two or three degrees in the hopes of finally landing a job.
The survey report also revealed that the top-paying college majors earn $3.4 million more than the lowest-paying majors over a lifetime. Computer science majors, with an average annual starting salary of almost $100,000, were the happiest overall, according to ZipRecruiter. Even though fields like communications and marketing management are growing sectors, both of these come under the top 10 regretted college degrees.
An experienced graduate degree holder earns 19% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 16% lower. An experienced graduate degree holder earns 15% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 20% lower. The good news is that there are signs that things may be starting to self-correct.
Experienced college grads earn an average of $62,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $74,000 a year, on average. Experienced college grads earn an average of $72,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $94,000 a year, on average. Experienced college grads earn an average of $76,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $92,000 a year, on average.
Some of the ivy league schools have skill gaps for
I used to top my class in 11th and the guy that used to finish 2nd is now in US working for an MNC and the girl that finished 3rd is now an HR manager for a popular 5 star resort. Turned 21, saved up enough to learn graphic design from a nearby institute. Landed a job in prime focus as a roto artist (completely unrelated to graphic design) because of contacts. Worked there for a year in 2019 until covid struck and they shut down their branch.
India’s Worthless Degrees Undercut World’s Fastest-Growing Major Economy
It’s also begun the process of allowing leading foreign universities to set up campuses and award degrees in the country. One of the companies in the Manipal Education & Medical Group that Mr Pai is on the board of «trains a lot of people for banking. They are not job ready, they need to be trained.» One study by the human resource firm SHL found that only 3.8% of engineers have the skills needed to be employed in software-related jobs at start-ups.
Every year, the government sets a quota for each Indian state that determines how many seats can be allocated for a field of study. For the 2017 school year, the government approved over 1.6 million seats for engineers across the country — but only half were actually filled. Enrollment figures have been dropping, and with fewer students attending subpar colleges, many are shutting down, including more than 500 in the past four years.
This is likely because these are wide fields and those who are satisfied with their jobs would be earning around 1.6 times to 3 times more than the job seekers who are regretting their degrees. The medical school is part of RKDF Group, a well known name in central India, which has wide network of colleges in areas from engineering to medicine and management. In May last year, police in Hyderabad arrested the vice chancellor of RKDF Group’s Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan University as well as his predecessor for alleged involvement in giving out fake degrees. Still, students could be seen flooding into several of RKDF’s institutions in Bhopal. One branch had posters of their «Shining Stars» – students who were placed in jobs after graduating.
«We do face a challenge in hiring as specific skill sets required for the industry are not currently easily available in the market,» said Yeshwinder Patial, director for human resources at MG Motor India. Bloomberg’s interviews with youths in India revealed several reasons for spending money on higher education, like boosting their economic status to attract better suitors for marriage, and getting government jobs. A study by an employee assessment firm Wheebox revealed that half of all future graduates in India would be unemployable because of flaws in the country’s education system. «Calling such so-called degrees as being worthless would be by far an understatement,» Anil Sadgopal, a former dean of education at Delhi University, told Bloomberg.
- Even though fields like communications and marketing management are growing sectors, both of these come under the top 10 regretted college degrees.
- Representatives of Manav Bharti University did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
- When I was 18, my parents got me enrolled in a polytechnic institute.
- Come 2017, I get enrolled in a hotel management course so that I could start working in a cruise ship but injured my arm in an accident mid way, almost lost my right arm but fortunately it was just a dislocation nothing more.
- In today’s fast-evolving job market, many employees find their college degrees irrelevant and find the need to add on a number of online courses to upskill themselves.
This is leading to a growing skills gap between those who have access to quality education and those who do not. At the same time, the number of colleges and universities in India is growing rapidly. With increased competition, many colleges are focusing on quantity rather than quality, offering courses that are not necessarily relevant to the needs of employers. This is leading to a situation in which young people are graduating with qualifications that are not valued in the workplace. Every student must undergo training or workshop to ensure that they have the relevant skill set to face the corporate world.
The government must take steps to ensure that employers are aware of the skills gap, so that they can better understand the qualifications of potential employees. If India is to make the most of its current economic growth, it must ensure that its citizens are equipped with the necessary skills to compete in a global economy. Employees armed with a graduate education are often a more attractive hire and can make a higher salary than colleagues who have only a bachelor’s degree. Earning a degree is almost always worthwhile, according to «The College Payoff,» a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
In India, public spending on education has been stagnant at about 2.9% of GDP, much lower than the 6% target set in the government’s new education policy. The SRK University and RKDF University of the RKDF group didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. On its website, the group says it provides quality education through teaching and imparting practical skills while making an effort to provide strong infrastructure and facilities. «Many of my friends are also sitting idle without a job,» said Mandal. Even though he didn’t find his last degree useful, he wants to avoid the disgrace of being unemployed and sitting idle. So, he’s signed up for a master’s degree at another private institution because he believes more degrees can at least enhance his social status.
