Degree vs. Hustle:Is a degree necessary to be successful?

 

Hey Readers!

I just got stuck on one question, and it's true that it comes from a debate. It's a bit confusing: which side is better? Just like in any debate, when the topic is introduced, it’s somewhat easy to predict which side will dominate or win. And frankly, you might also get a little excited and feel FOMO after hearing the topic for debate. The topic is...

"Is a degree necessary to be successful in life?"

Do you feel excited? This means we can all relate to this topic. Whether you are from engineering, medicine, academia,or any other field, mainly students or graduates, this question resonates with everyone .

We all ponder whether our degree contributed much to our lives. By reading the biographies of most businessmen, we often think that rarely did they follow the traditional education path, with many being dropouts. Some did not pursue a degree; they just excelled in their particular field or followed their passion and truly loved what they did, right?

But, let me share some interesting facts with you. Among the founders of unicorn companies worldwide:

• 56 individuals are dropouts,
• 486 founders have bachelor's degrees,
• 259 have master's degrees,
• 236 have MBA's.

If we look specifically at India, among the 100 unicorns, there are 30 founders from IIT Delhi,18 from IIT Bombay, and 16 from IIT Kanpur. This data suggests that you are approximately 9 times more likely to become a unicorn founder if you have a college degree compared to being a college dropout.

On the other hand, we have examples like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Ballmer, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Larry Page. They are all college dropouts who built big names without having a college degree.

Now, this might feel contradictory to you too, right? Should you follow the path of graduation? Or, if you haven't yet entered the rat race of pursuing a degree, should you think about building your own company at an early stage?

Everyone has different perceptions when it comes to this. If you ask me what you should do or think, I would suggest that if you have a passion or hobby and firmly believe that it can make you money, then follow your passion and build a company or whatever you aspire to. And if you are an undergraduate student, explore various fields, research one particular area, and innovate something that can bring you happiness and success. After all, "There are no full stops in success; there are just commas"—from the Maharshi movie. Keep adding more and more achievements. Enjoy it!

Wait for the next blog and comment down your opinion on this...
(No worries if my experiences and thoughts don't perfectly align with yours – everyone's perspective is valuable!)