What is a degree worth?
I have changed courses like random horses and I did them with atmost conviction that even chaos has some order, as does randomness flourishing uncertainty.I was particularly talking about my education although my life remains even more elusive.
I giggle at myself as to how I became a Production Engineer after specializing in Computer Science in my senior secondary. It remains even brain bare as I mastered in Finance and Systems in my M.B.A after working in an Auto ancillary for a year. Now, I want to become a journalist leave alone my affection for philosophy. My brain still dreams of becoming a global economist.
I don't whether I am confused now or was I confused earlier? Am i seeking what i really want or was i directionless earlier ?.Have experiences changed my courses or is it that, it is the natural way of life, only that I am trying too hard to blow it up.
One thing for sure I would hardly apply 10% of the knowledge I had acquired in my schooling. I shall pledge that I never questioned things in depth during my schooling or was I given the liberty to do so by my teachers, they too were grinded from the same system. I have read logarithm for so many years and it took me so many years to understand the significance of base "e".
I guess it was the same case with all the subjects which I had learned so far, right from under graduation to post graduation. The system had moulded me to recollect what was taught and religiously reproduce them in the answer sheet and still flaunt superior grades. I have now discussed the process aspect of the education.
Now, I shall dwell on the other aspect of specialized education. I don't know what sense it makes for a Production Engineer to specialize in finance and end up in equity research betraying the knowledge and skill I had acquired in the four years of education. I always seek solace that an engineer has a better ability to understand the process than a Chartered Account / Commerce graduate. It gives me greater embarrassment when I have to reveal that they are better, at least that is what my fellow colleagues in the form of CA's have taught me in the last year. It takes more of common sense to comprehend the business process and immense inquisitiveness to learn and excel.
It is really amazing to see how gold medallions/ top rankers in a particular domain choose to work in a completely diagonal field. I am not blaming them and it is not fair to do so. Isn’t it complete futility when we fail to apply the knowledge we acquire in a particular area. I can only giggle at people who start an hue and cry about IITians who brain drain our country. When are we going to realize that the brain drain disguised in non relevant profession selection. All this appetite for salary disparities would go away with the recent cross industry normalisation.Would our attitude change then?
It is shameful to know that only 25% of the engineers out of colleges are employable in jobs (including call centers).Our educational system is screwed up somewhere, are we just producing people who call speak tolerable English. Are engineers and Business graduates the only way of life? Is professional educational the only sacred society. Would there be someday when becoming an anthropologist or an historian be common?
We can give answers that professional education improves the thinking process and problem solving skills if we sideline the relevance of the knowledge. I hardly can see any path breaking inventions in India unless we streamline career with relevant application. We should focus on understanding rather than diversifying our risks in multiple domains. It is nothing wrong in being jack of all trades but it is wise to be king of at least one.
I giggle at myself as to how I became a Production Engineer after specializing in Computer Science in my senior secondary. It remains even brain bare as I mastered in Finance and Systems in my M.B.A after working in an Auto ancillary for a year. Now, I want to become a journalist leave alone my affection for philosophy. My brain still dreams of becoming a global economist.
I don't whether I am confused now or was I confused earlier? Am i seeking what i really want or was i directionless earlier ?.Have experiences changed my courses or is it that, it is the natural way of life, only that I am trying too hard to blow it up.
One thing for sure I would hardly apply 10% of the knowledge I had acquired in my schooling. I shall pledge that I never questioned things in depth during my schooling or was I given the liberty to do so by my teachers, they too were grinded from the same system. I have read logarithm for so many years and it took me so many years to understand the significance of base "e".
I guess it was the same case with all the subjects which I had learned so far, right from under graduation to post graduation. The system had moulded me to recollect what was taught and religiously reproduce them in the answer sheet and still flaunt superior grades. I have now discussed the process aspect of the education.
Now, I shall dwell on the other aspect of specialized education. I don't know what sense it makes for a Production Engineer to specialize in finance and end up in equity research betraying the knowledge and skill I had acquired in the four years of education. I always seek solace that an engineer has a better ability to understand the process than a Chartered Account / Commerce graduate. It gives me greater embarrassment when I have to reveal that they are better, at least that is what my fellow colleagues in the form of CA's have taught me in the last year. It takes more of common sense to comprehend the business process and immense inquisitiveness to learn and excel.
It is really amazing to see how gold medallions/ top rankers in a particular domain choose to work in a completely diagonal field. I am not blaming them and it is not fair to do so. Isn’t it complete futility when we fail to apply the knowledge we acquire in a particular area. I can only giggle at people who start an hue and cry about IITians who brain drain our country. When are we going to realize that the brain drain disguised in non relevant profession selection. All this appetite for salary disparities would go away with the recent cross industry normalisation.Would our attitude change then?
It is shameful to know that only 25% of the engineers out of colleges are employable in jobs (including call centers).Our educational system is screwed up somewhere, are we just producing people who call speak tolerable English. Are engineers and Business graduates the only way of life? Is professional educational the only sacred society. Would there be someday when becoming an anthropologist or an historian be common?
We can give answers that professional education improves the thinking process and problem solving skills if we sideline the relevance of the knowledge. I hardly can see any path breaking inventions in India unless we streamline career with relevant application. We should focus on understanding rather than diversifying our risks in multiple domains. It is nothing wrong in being jack of all trades but it is wise to be king of at least one.
We shall bear the tag of highly paid coolies till then.
Labels: education, India, specialisation
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