Is a getting a “degree” the biggest scam ever?

All my life I wanted to be a rich and famous person when I grew up. So like most of the people I thought that getting a good score in school will in-turn get me into a reputed college which in-turn will fetch me a fancy degree, was the way to go.

Right from my childhood, I had a passion for automobiles and machinery. And when my parent’s asked me what I wanted to become in life, I said “an engineer”.

Like any other 20 year old guy who is lucky enough to have well earning parents and a descent grade 12 mark-sheet, I joined college twenty eight months ago to pursue an under-graduation course in Mechanical engineering. At the very beginning, I didn’t know what to expect. I was in a new environment with new people, new culture and new walk of life.

So the first two years passed by very quickly, much like a Ferrari driven by Michael Schumacher. Now in the third year of my degree course, I think that I have become mature enough to understand what the reality is. I see countless number of college graduates go under-employed or even worse, go unemployed. And out of these under or unemployed graduates, 30% of them pursue another degree in-order to get employed and become successful, which is again a 50–50 chance! The best part in all this is that most of the successful people are either school and college dropouts or have no formal education whatsoever!

So now the big question is that, what does all of this really mean?

Is the statement,

“You need a fancy college degree to become successful in life, the biggest lie ever told?”

And my answer is yes.

Now, adding more points to my side of the debate:

1. Great inventors of the past did not necessarily attend schools or colleges. They just had an idea and they strived towards achieving it.
2. Many organizations like Google and Facebook hire people based on their selective knowledge, skill and experience, rather than a fancy ivy league degree.
3. Many big industrial giants like Henry Ford, Ferruccio Lamborghini, etc. had no degrees. All they needed was an idea, motivation, brains and money.
4. Several companies like Penguin publications have removed having a college degree, as one of their hiring criterion.

All of this hints to a emerging trend, where people are beginning to understand that a degree is just a catalyst for our path to success and not the sole enabler. And for those who are still scratching their head and wondering what the sole enabler is, it’s just three things:

An idea, a proper modus operandi and perseverance

Please understand that I am not against the concept of formal education and getting a degree. I agree that going to school or college helps to increase your knowledge and skills, but is it really necessary to make it big in life? well… that’s debatable. It really depends on your knowledge, skill and your ambitions in life. Like for example, my bachelors degree in engineering gave me clarity as to what I want to pursue in life. But unlike me, if you already have a clear direction and resources in your life to pursue your dream, then please don’t waste your time by pursuing a degree!