Uncertainty - Spice of Life

We love certainty in life. We want to freeze the future on our terms. When we get up in the morning, we want the day to be bright and sunny. When we open the door, we want the newspaper on the floor. When we drive to work, we want the traffic flowing. At work, we want our bosses to be in good mood and our colleagues to behave well. In meetings, we want everyone to agree with our view points. While negotiating a deal, we want to win without having to make any compromise. While holidaying, we want weather to behave and everything & everybody to comply with our schedule. We want our friends to call us for a weekend outing and all important occasions. We want them to rescue us when we are stuck in a crisis. We want a job that will give us joy every moment. We want acknowledgement and appreciation for every single task. We want people to honour their words and stand by their commitments. We want to find a life partner who would perfectly fit our list of criteria. We want our spouse to never upset us, while ignoring all our faults. We want the market to only go upward after we have invested. We want injuries and sickness never to visit us. We want the world to be fair with us, never mind if we are not.

We believe that we will be happy only when every single wish is fulfilled, as if happiness resides in the certainty of tomorrow. Our happiness, therefore, hangs on the hooks of such ‘wants’ moment-to-moment. One hook falls and happiness is gone.

We need to challenge our belief that certainty in life can give happiness. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were certain of what was coming next? Life is like a thriller in which we can never guess what’s coming next. And, this uncertainty should, indeed, provide excitement. Even if nature wanted to fulfill everyone’s wishes, it could not do so as everyone wants different things from the same situation, event or people. This does not mean we should not expect or plan in life. But, there is no need to be obsessed with our expectations or plans, as if the world would come down crashing if they are not fulfilled. We must understand that nature has its own grand plan accommodating welfare of all the species of life in the entire cosmos. I am reminded of someone saying, “It is good if your wish is fulfilled, but if it is not fulfilled then it is even better because then the nature’s wish is being fulfilled, which will always be good for you in the long run.”

Therefore, we must remain open to any surprise. There is no need to restrict the future with any condition. It is like going to a grand buffet dinner with the determination of eating only 1 or 2 specific dishes. You are going to miss all the other dishes which might be more interesting than your chosen ones. Tomorrow will always come as ‘today’. If we are used to living in ‘tomorrow’ with complaints of ‘today’, we cannot enjoy even if our wishes are fulfilled as we are never present in ‘today’. Such is the power of habit. Hence, we must inculcate the habit of living in ‘today’, no matter what. Everyone must find his/her own ways of establishing this habit. When you are fully present in ‘today’, no opportunity will be missed and life will remain exciting. So, let’s spice-up the life. Let’s seek uncertainty.

Is Every Graduate Employable?

Recently, while holidaying in India, I came across a study conducted by the recruiters of large multinational companies and other corporate houses. The study revealed that “85% of Graduates are not employable.” Although this appears to be an exaggerated conclusion, there is no denying the fact that an uncomfortably high percentage of graduates today are, indeed, not employable. Should we blame the education system or the students? I believe that both are responsible for such a sorry state.

The word ‘education’ is derived from the root word ‘educe’, meaning to draw out something hidden or latent. This clearly implies that education is not a process of forcing knowledge from outside, but a process of uncovering the latent potential of each student. In order for this process to succeed, the student must strive and the education system must provide a conducive environment. However, the onus of learning remains with the student, who must exploit every opportunity of discovering his/her own unique talent.

 

Some of the important changes that can be implemented by academic institutions to make their graduates more employable are: 

1. Connect with the Industry: Today there is a greater emphasis on academic curriculum and less on the practical aspects of the knowledge imparted. There is very little ‘dirtying of hands’ during the study period. There is a virtual disconnect between what is taught and what is applied in the industry. It was surprising to note from the above study that ‘Diploma’ holders are more employable than the ‘Graduates’ by virtue of their emphasis on practical training. The study suggested a ratio of 70/30 between the practical and academic parts. Every employer wants new recruits to become productive ASAP.
2. Keep the curriculum updated: It is sad to see many institutions still following programs which were designed decades ago. The current pace of developments demands dynamic tuning of the courses. This is possible only when the academic institutions participate in industry sponsored projects dealing with real industrial problems. Teaching faculty should frequently visit relevant industry’s R&D centres and should have the freedom to update their programs accordingly.
3. Attract teaching faculty from Industry: I have often found students completing their PhD and then joining the academic world straightaway. They are not necessarily the best of the brains. Further, with little or no industry experience they are far removed from the practical application of the material being taught. Such teaching faculty cannot produce employable graduates. Academic institutions should attract and facilitate people with valuable industry experience to join their teaching faculty. Salaries and perks of teaching community must be made at par, if not more, with those in the industry. Stringent requirements such as PhD for becoming a Professor should be relaxed in favour of long industry experience. And, how about inviting those who have excelled in their work life and now on the verge of retirement?
4. Play active roles: In real world, we have to play variety of roles – salesman, engineer, manager, team leader, team member, publicist, analyst, etc. However, academic institutions hardly demand their students to play such roles as part of their studies. Most students are put in ‘straightjacket’. Consequently, after entering the real world, these students get rude shocks and must acquire these skills either through hard experience or additional courses.
5. Recognise short-term certified courses: There is an abundance of short-term certified courses on a variety of subjects, which are widely accepted by employers. Unfortunately, academic institutions rarely recognize them. Consequently, students are discouraged to take such courses while pursuing their main programme. Their focus remains on completing the prescribed courses and secure highest grades.
6. Integrate courses on soft-skills: At work, we need to employ a variety of soft-skills – communication, negotiation, public speaking, speed reading, active listening, time management, presentation, teambuilding & leadership, etc. Institutions should integrate courses / workshops on such topics in the curriculum.
7. Inculcate ABC: Once I heard a large multinational company’s recruiter sharing his criteria for recruitment. Before looking into academic performance of the candidate, he looks for ABC – Attitude, Behaviour and Character. In real life, ABC play vital role and can make difference between success and failure in any job. According to him, you can fill any gap in the knowledge, but you can’t teach ABC to an adult. Seeds of right ABC must be sowed in the childhood by the parents and teachers of primary schools. Students imbibe right ABC by following role models. Teaching faculty members should present such role models for their students. Further, academic institutions should teach basics of work ethics – commitment, integrity, punctuality, honesty, respect, trust, responsibility and fairness – which are sadly missing in the fresh recruits of the industry. 

To sum-up, academic world is responsible for producing graduates who can hit the work-life running, while striving to become better human being with every experience. Let’s prove Einstein wrong who once said, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school or college.”