It is becoming a relentless habit in our nation to prefer shortcuts over genuine struggle. While scrolling through social media, our young people often listen to so-called influencers who claim that pursuing higher education is a waste of time. After making this assertion, the first thing these influencers do is urge viewers to buy the months-long course they are selling, portraying it as a shortcut to success. To cement their argument, they will refer to three famous college dropout billionaires Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. But this point falls apart when you consider that, in 2023, almost every Fortune 500 CEO had a college degree, with only a few exceptions.
So, the reality is that even a mediocre degree programme, navigated with mission and purpose, is better than foregoing university entirely. Several studies estimate that that the economic rate of return on investment in education generally increases with higher levels of education. Of course, a university degree does not guarantee any outcomes, but one who pursues it seriously will always have better opportunities.
Mudassar Farid Qureshi
Islamabad
