by Umair Ul Umar
As employment uncertainty grows, many young people question whether traditional degrees still offer the opportunities they once promised.
For generations, higher education was regarded as the most reliable pathway to success. In Kashmir, securing admission to the University of Kashmir was once a dream cherished by countless families. A name in the result notice was celebrated as a family achievement. Sweets were distributed among neighbours, relatives shared in the joy, and the student earned immense respect within the community. A university seat symbolised prestige, hope, and the promise of a brighter future.
Today, however, the educational landscape tells a different story. Universities are increasingly extending admission deadlines to attract students. Classrooms that once witnessed fierce competition for every seat now struggle to fill them. This transformation raises a profound question: Are young people losing interest in education, or has education failed to keep pace with the aspirations and realities of Generation Z?
Gen Z is undoubtedly one of the most intelligent, informed, and technologically connected generations in history. They have access to unlimited information at their fingertips and possess an extraordinary ability to adapt to change. Yet they are also products of an age defined by speed. They consume information in seconds, navigate multiple streams of content simultaneously, and often skip through videos within moments.
A generation accustomed to instant access and immediate feedback naturally finds it difficult to commit to educational pathways that may require years of study before yielding meaningful economic returns. The traditional model of education was designed for a different era. It is assumed that students could patiently spend years acquiring degrees before entering stable careers.
Today’s reality is far more complex. Students invest substantial amounts of time, energy, and money in higher education only to face uncertainty, unemployment, and prolonged waiting periods. Governments cannot employ every graduate, and the private sector often lacks the capacity to absorb the ever-increasing number of degree holders.
This reality has profoundly influenced the mindset of young people. When students are repeatedly told that education guarantees success, yet witness graduates struggling to secure employment, scepticism naturally emerges.
Across Kashmir, one increasingly hears a common response whenever children are advised to focus on studies and memorise lessons: “Yeti la’gaie baki wani la’ge buh,” meaning, “Who gets employed here anyway?” While such remarks may appear casual, they reflect a growing crisis of confidence in the traditional promise that education automatically leads to opportunity.
Countless real-life examples compel us to rethink our educational priorities. Consider a family with four brothers. Three pursued higher education and earned impressive academic qualifications. The fourth brother dropped out of formal education and ventured into business.
Years later, it was his entrepreneurial skills, practical knowledge, and ability to identify opportunities that transformed the family’s economic condition. Today, the entire family benefits from the enterprise he established.
This example is not an argument against education. Rather, it highlights a crucial reality: in the modern world, skills, innovation, and adaptability often prove just as valuable as degrees. A qualification may open doors, but it does not automatically guarantee success. What ultimately matters is the ability to create value, solve problems, and respond to changing economic demands.
Many highly qualified graduates find themselves trapped in a difficult situation. After investing years in acquiring degrees, they struggle to find suitable employment. Possessing prestigious qualifications, they often hesitate to accept jobs that do not align with their educational status. At the same time, opportunities matching their aspirations remain scarce.
This mismatch frequently leads to frustration, self-doubt, and, in some cases, depression. They become victims of a system that promised certainty but delivered uncertainty.
Generation Z closely observes these realities. They see graduates waiting endlessly for opportunities while others, equipped with practical skills, entrepreneurial ventures, or digital expertise, achieve financial independence at a much younger age.
Consequently, many young people are losing curiosity towards traditional academic pathways. Discussions that once revolved around books, ideas, and intellectual pursuits are increasingly replaced by conversations centred on social media trends, digital content, and online culture.
This does not mean that Gen Z lacks ambition or intelligence. On the contrary, it suggests that the educational system has not evolved at the same pace as society, technology, and the labour market. If education continues to follow models designed for a bygone era, the gap between institutions and learners will continue to widen.
The solution does not lie in abandoning education but in reimagining it. Universities and schools must become centres of innovation rather than mere degree-producing institutions. Skill-based programmes, entrepreneurship education, artificial intelligence, robotics, digital marketing, renewable energy technologies, and industry-integrated courses must become central components of the curriculum.
Students should graduate not only with certificates but also with practical competencies that enable them to thrive in a rapidly changing world. The need of the hour is not merely to produce degree holders but to nurture creators, innovators, problem-solvers, and job generators.
Education must evolve from a system focused on credentials to one focused on competence. If yesterday’s classrooms continue preparing students for yesterday’s world, the gap between education and reality will only widen. If meaningful reforms are not introduced, universities may gradually lose their appeal among young people.
The challenge before policymakers, educators, and intellectuals is not merely to preserve educational institutions but to reinvent them for a new generation.
The question before us is simple yet profound: If Generation Z is preparing for the future, is our educational system preparing for Generation Z?
Let us ponder this before the disconnect between education and aspiration becomes too wide to bridge.
(The author is an educator at GGHSS Yaripora Kulgam. Ideas are personal.)
