Degree, Job, Done?

(3 mins read)

A few days ago, I came across a tweet and some replies to it that really made me think. They spoke about privilege, adversity, and how our circumstances shape the path we take, especially when it comes to higher education and innovation in science.

Author's tweet

Support for the author's tweet

Counterpoint to the author's tweet

It made me pause and reflect.

Why didn’t I pursue higher studies?

Was it a lack of ambition, or something else?

What role did my background, my parents, and my responsibilities play?

Growing up, I didn’t have the luxury to dream big. My father worked tirelessly, barely making ends meet. My mother gave tuitions and taught in a primary school, not out of passion but necessity. There are many like me who belong to the lower middle class in India, where engineering isn’t seen as an ambition, but as a gateway to a stable job and a way to start supporting the family. I am the eldest in my family, so when I graduated with a degree in Information Technology, there was no question of further studies. The family needed support, and I had to step in. That job meant survival, more than success. If I had chosen higher studies, it would’ve meant more sacrifices, and perhaps, an increase to the family’s burden, both financially and emotionally. So I shelved my ambitions: not out of regret, but out of responsibility.

But dreams are strange things: they don’t die, they just change form. I don’t want my children to carry that weight. I want to be the cushion I never had, give my children what I never had: the luxury to choose learning over earning. Job and income shouldn't be their finish line. 

They should have the freedom to take risks, to explore astrophysics, quantum computing, study the stars, or fail at a startup. 

Like a runway for a plane, long enough to gain momentum before flight. Not too short for the plane crash, and not too long, for the plane to never take off.

Like training wheels on a bicycle, offering balance until they can ride on their own. 

Or a safety net under a trapeze artist, not to prevent falls, but to allow daring leaps. 

The wealth that I provide for them cannot just be money; it should also include freedom. And if my hard work and sacrifices mean they get to chase knowledge and focus on learning instead of just earning, then I’ve done my part for humanity.