Lost Soul, commented back on my “search for an alternative” (after 3 idiots debate). I have edited his (am assuming its a he based on the style of writing….) response and posted it below, because its long enough and deserves a read.
On a lighter note, a movie that inspires so much debate can’t really be that bad. (I just posted this line to give my sis a “positive tick”, she has been riling me for the past 2 days, just because I said the movie sucks. She obviously liked the movie, and the way it works in our family is, “we have to disagree”, but “we also have to agree”… :-)
Lost Soul’s comments below (definitely worth a serious read as a counter point)
I don’t say that the education system sucks in India, but it needs to grow in tandem as the needs of the new generation grow. The forced mathematics that we studied makes us Indians the most brilliant ppl with most demand as IT professionals. This would not have been possible without the education system. I am WITH YOU on mostly the all the points mentioned above except some that I would take on later. Let me take the previous questions that I raised.
1. Wasting a degree - Of course it would help the sales executive, but this example was not aimed at those who look at an MBA as an extension of their existing career but ppl who look at MBA as an switch from the existing stream to something else. An example would be a person who did Mechanical engineering at IIT - Chennai and now is studying at NYU Stern to be an I-banker. I am still struggling what help would be mechanics to him in I banking. Probably calculating stress on his head as an I banker :D. If he really wants to be an I banker probably a CA degree will help him more out than the eng. degree. I do buy your thought that knowledge always comes handy but then I think probably with eng. he should also learn Law, Medicine, Accounts but the more relevant the higher education the more it going to benefit the person himself. The whole idea is to be focused on the profession a person selects for himself for his life rather than meandering here and there as Chetan Bhagat spiraling from an IIT eng. to IIM I banker to a writer. Believe me things are worse in normal colleges forget the IITs. There is a complete chaos in the colleges. If you ask an MBA aspirant why he wants to do an MBA, 90% would be saying I do not wish to pursue technical so I think MBA is an only option.
2. Green Pastures - I read this article just 2 days back before commenting on your article.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1-in-3-professor-posts-in-IITs-vacant-/articleshow/5401014.cms
I don’t give a fuck if Aswath Damodaran makes millions or teaches corporate finance. We can’t afford to think that when our own colleges including the IVY league universities are starving of resources. I do understand the financial implications and all the globalization fundas but I hope you would agree that you won’t feed a neighbors child if your own child is starved. I strongly believe a society grows socially, financially and laterally on the heads of the learned and brilliant people which alas we are losing a high rate. It is only the brilliant minds that create opportunities for the common people. If Narayana Murthy would had followed the same strategy after his IIM A degree to run to the greener pastures, you would had been settled in Silicon Valley with a big Villa and a BMW and I would had been repairing computers in some remote town of India :D.
3. Why so much pressure towards GPAs - I understand the joy of being first and sorrow of being also second. I understand the joy of getting an "Outstanding" and the sorrow of "Very Good" in my appraisal process. This explains that I love competition. I would not want to be second best in the field I love. Let us understand that interest comes naturally to a person and no matter how much I pursue a person to follow something else he/she cannot focus on that field. If I have my natural fair for then I would give in my 110% for it and one day by practice I would be as excellent in my field as someone who is good at rotting and has excellence in it. I may not get a Merc, a large house but I would be happy doing what I do for the most part of my day. A few days ago a neighbor met me in the lift and asked me in front of his son if 93% is bad or not and expecting me to say bad. I would not say tht. I in my neighbors place would encourage him positively to take interest in those subjects, try to learn that but would not EMOTIONALLY BLACKMAIL and EMBARASS him in front of strangers to perform or perish. I believe a person has his own unique abilities which should be nurtured rather than running a rat race (Though I am trying to find mine yet).
Co-incidentally this is story published only today in DNA.
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_three-students-commit-suicide-in-two-days-in-mumbai_1330806
I do not say competition killed these 3 children, but not allowing them to compete in the fields they would love to, killed them. All they wanted was to follow their dreams and excel in the field they wanted to choose as me and you who chose an engineering career.
I do understand that you and I will be rational towards our children in the coming future but 3 idiots have been positively shown this on screen which is why people have loved it. I do not go the watch the movie to see delivering babies via vacuum cleaner. No one would attempt to do so also. Celluloid is always been exaggerated, u see any damn movie and it has to. IF I want to see a normal person whose rotting has got him to places, then we have plentiful of examples in daily life.
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1 comment:
I like the title of this post.. sarcastic but apt....
I read the post a few days back and thought not to comment back on this topic but just found one apt point.
Was chatting with a 2 colleagues - ivy college freshers with 9+ GPA. This was thier comment "Hume pata hain hume kya nahi karna hain, but hume nahi pata ki hume kya karna hain life main. shayad hume kabhie pata nahi hoga hume kya karna hain".
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