Writer: Irbaz Jadoon
It is not that our youth lack capability. The real issue is that we are simply failing our duty to point them in the right direction. In our society, a piece of paper “a degree” is made out to be the ultimate destination, while acquiring a practical skill through hands-on work has vanished somewhere during the flow of time. For example, it is assumed that a student majoring in a science subject does not have to learn a computer-related skill or tools. Why? Because we assume that it is a waste of time and does not match their syllabus. In the present era, this thinking is flawed and far from reality.
Sooner or later, a skill, no matter what kind, will always come in handy. If we look back at history, kings, emperors, even princes learned a practical craft or a trade even though they were sitting on thrones and ruling over millions of subjects. If they were asked the reason, their answer was simple. What if someday circumstances changed and we lost the crown? At least the skill or craft would keep us from starving and even make a living.
Sai-e-amal se soorat-e-taqdeer dekh le
Dast-e-hunar ki garmi-e-tadbeer dekh le — Hafeez Jalandhari
We are in an era where skill is valued more than a degree, so naturally, the value of a degree has plummeted to little more than a piece of paper. The truth is that those who have degrees lack practical experience, while on the other hand, those who have experience lack degrees. The blame does not lie wholly with our educational system; our society, elders, as well as the youth, all share this blame too. With all due respect, our culture is different and we simply do not have the habit of working while studying.
Our youth assume that once they get their degree, companies will be dying to hire them so they can gain experience and earn a paycheck at the same time. This is not how things work anymore. It might have worked when our elders were young, but it does not work in this era. Our parents and elders insist that this is only the time to study, asking why there is any need to work right now, believing one can only focus on one thing at a time. On the other hand, when a fresh graduate steps into the job market today, employers demand a degree plus one or two years of experience along with technical skills. And that is when reality slaps us in the face.
If we look at the example of Western youth, they start taking on odd jobs or learning a skill or a trade the moment they come of age, or even before that. Why can they do this while we cannot? Simple, they can do it because they are not paralyzed by the societal fear of what the neighbors will think or what relatives will say. They do not have to worry about these things, which is why they can move forward. We are bound by these fears, so we stay stuck.
In this digital era, if you have a skill, you can earn a living, it is as simple as that. You do not even need to run around looking for an office anymore; you can work straight from your bed as long as you have the necessary skill. The internet has provided us with opportunities that generations before us frankly never had. It has blown the doors of opportunity wide open, meaning that if you have a skill, you do not even have to leave your house to work. For example, if someone is a skillful writer, they can turn it into a career of its own through freelancing. Many young people are reaping the rewards of this today, with some even doing it full-time. But still, it all comes back to one simple requirement: you must actually possess a skill, whether it is voice acting, voiceover recording, writing, graphic design, video editing, or photo editing. In this race of how to make a living, skills are the hard currency while a degree alone gets left behind.
Our education system is still lagging behind and dragging along a century-old colonial-era framework which even the West is not using anymore. If we want our youth to be prepared for the modern world, this system must undergo a massive overhaul. Students must be given practical training alongside their studies, which honestly is just rote memorization now. For example, a student of journalism should be given training in operating cameras, writing news reports, writing scripts, and speaking on camera which should be the direct responsibility of the institution granting them the degree.
While institutions alone cannot fix this, parents also need to step up for their children’s future. Parents need to encourage their youth to acquire a practical skill alongside their formal education so we can bury this obsolete mindset that it is only time for study and a job can wait. The youth also have to abandon their converse thinking that work only begins after graduation. If we do not let go of this rigid and backward mindset now, we will be left behind in a rapidly changing world.
A degree is just a piece of paper with writing if we do not have the ability to execute the knowledge gained from that degree.
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannam bhi
Yeh khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
— Allama Iqbal
