Have you come across an intelligent man who claims to be
unable to make a cup of tea for himself?
Have you come across a brilliant lady who says she cannot sew a button? If you have or if you are one of them, then welcome to the world of fools with degrees. These are the people who earn a lot, but still need their mommies for menial stuff. Don’t get me wrong, we all need our mommies and daddies no matter how old we get, but please put on your big-boy/girl pants on or whatever your version of grown-up clothing is and get your act together.
It is not cute when someone says, “I never had to get myself a glass of water”, “I do not even know how to boil water”, “I do not know how to talk to people and navigate my way into an independent life”. No number of degrees/ qualifications you hold can make up for this basic knowledge about life management. Not everything needs to pique your interest. You do not have to want to become a talented seamster/seamstress to know how to fix a button. You do not need to have a desire to become the likes of Gordon Ramsay to be able to cook a simple meal. You do not have to become a finance expert to manage your own finances. Parents are raising their kids to be money-making, future securing, and financial security achieving mindless robots.
Not everything worth learning needs to be valued with monetary returns. There are some skills that need to be taught as a part of the growing up process. And even if your parents are not willing to teach you such basic stuff, please go on YouTube and learn them. There is so much information out there that if you are willing to learn something new, there is no excuse for you to not learn it. The problem lies in the years of preparing for school exams and competitive exams that suck out every ounce of time and energy these kids are left with. Parents always feel that they have time to teach kids once they have aced their exams and secured the coveted college admissions. Before they realize, their kids fly away from the nest and the basic skill set training gets shoved in the least priority section.
How about adding this training as a part of our education system? How about telling the kids after high school to chill for a year and get into a one year program where basic survival skills will be taught? How about giving them at least a year’s time to figure out what they want to do and study for the next 3-4 years? How about giving them the opportunity to meet professionals and professors of their field of choice and interact with them? How about taking them on campus trips, exposing them to life after high school, and preparing them for what lies ahead (at least some of it)? We look at taking breaks, sabbaticals, and time-offs as a sign of weakness, incompetence, and failure. When in fact it should be encouraged if it is put to use in a constructive manner. In a career span of 30-40 years, a year is not that big of a deal. And if that year is used to analyze what you want to do for the rest of your life and then make an informed choice accordingly, it has the power to turn the rest of your professional years and experiences into something you actually end up enjoying and are proud of.
This world needs adults who can take care of themselves, who can make independent choices, know how to think for themselves, and can go out in the world fearlessly. Let’s not underestimate and limit ourselves. Jack of all trades need not be master of any. You can be a jack of ALL trades, and a master of ONE at the same time. Let your brain and capabilities surprise you.