Column | India’s Youth Should Enter Adulthood With Several Ways To Earn

For 8,113 graduate-level railway vacancies, the first-stage examination drew 58.42 lakh candidates, according to figures released in December 2025. That works out to roughly 720 candidates per advertised position. Such numbers reveal the difficulty facing millions of Indians who organise their early adulthood around recruitment notifications. Preparation can be rigorous, commitment sincere and performance strong, yet the available posts leave an enormous majority without an appointment.

Government jobs command respect and will remain an important career option. India needs capable administrators, teachers, police personnel and railway employees. Preparing for these responsibilities deserves encouragement. We must also widen the definition of professional success so that a public appointment becomes one of several worthwhile possibilities. Young people should feel confident pursuing employment, enterprise or specialised training while studying for competitive examinations.

The attraction of a sarkari naukri is understandable. For households accustomed to irregular income, a predictable salary offers reassurance. Pension expectations, retirement benefits, social standing and family approval strengthen that preference, although entitlements differ across appointments. Parents who have experienced financial hardship often regard government employment as protection against uncertainty. Any serious discussion must recognise the economic anxieties behind their advice. However, pursuing that security exclusively carries its own risk—several years spent revising an examination syllabus can mean postponed earnings, missed workplace experience and continued financial dependence. Coaching fees, rent and travel add to household expenditure. Meanwhile, employers change their requirements. Applicants may become proficient at answering test questions while losing contact with the tools and practices relevant to other occupations.

A July 2026 analysis of the Periodic Labour Force Survey put unemployment among graduates and above, across all ages, at 11.2 per cent. The transition from college to a livelihood therefore requires attention before graduation. Students need to identify suitable roles, understand entry requirements and acquire relevant experience. A degree should be accompanied by evidence that its holder can apply knowledge effectively.

Examination disruptions introduce further uncertainty. In August 2025, candidates appearing for the Staff Selection Commission’s Selection Post Phase 13 examination reported cancellations, software failures, biometric-verification problems and incorrect centre allotments. Administrative failures can upset months of preparation and impose additional expenses. Recruitment agencies owe aspirants dependable schedules, transparent procedures and timely decisions.

Alongside those institutional responsibilities, candidates need a practical framework to manage their time. Full-time preparation should have a financial limit, periodic evaluation and an agreed point for reassessment. Internships, apprenticeships, part-time assignments or professional certifications can proceed concurrently where circumstances permit. Such arrangements allow an applicant to remain economically active and develop capabilities that retain value regardless of an examination result.

Alternatives must also offer reasonable prospects. Low wages, insecure contracts and unsuitable positions make career diversification difficult to recommend convincingly. Employers have a responsibility to provide appropriate compensation, training and progression. Asking graduates to become adaptable must be accompanied by efforts to create decent work. Advice earns trust when it connects someone to an opportunity with clear terms.

Enterprise Can Expand Local Employment

India needs to encourage a job-creating mindset. Entrepreneurship should carry the same aspiration and social recognition associated with established professions. A young person who builds a viable business can generate income, solve a local problem and eventually employ others. This possibility deserves a serious place in family discussions and educational planning, supported by an honest understanding of the commercial risk. As of June 2026, India had over 2.35 lakh recognised start-ups, generating approximately 24 lakh direct jobs, with over half originating in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. These figures strengthen the case to invest in talent outside metropolitan centres. Young people should be able to find mentors, customers, training and business support within their regions, without assuming that relocation is a prerequisite for achievement. Realising that potential requires functioning local networks. Universities can connect prospective founders with small manufacturers, service providers, lenders and experienced entrepreneurs. Government cannot employ the entire working population. It can create conditions in which enterprises grow, investment becomes feasible and employment expands across districts.

Starting a venture requires preparation. Students should learn to test demand, calculate costs, manage cash flow and understand legal obligations before committing resources. A viable hospitality service, technology solution, creative studio or skilled trade can provide a practical beginning. Incubation should help founders assess whether an idea has paying customers and a credible route to sustainability.

Our education system must connect academic qualifications with employability, enterprise and practical exposure. At the Babu Banarasi Das University, Lucknow, we try to encourage this approach through engagement with the industry and applied learning. The institutional task is to help students discover what they can do with their education and build the confidence to pursue suitable fields.

There are encouraging signs in readiness for employment. The India Skills Report recorded employability at 56.35 per cent in 2026, up from 54.81 per cent in 2025. This assessment measures readiness within the tested sample; it does not record the appointments secured. Its practical value depends on connecting training with workplace requirements and monitoring subsequent outcomes.

Artificial intelligence and other technologies have made continuous learning essential. Students need experience using relevant applications, checking outputs, protecting confidential information and recognising errors. Curricula must be reviewed regularly, while internships should include defined responsibilities and feedback. Public programmes provide additional routes: 9.85 lakh apprentices were engaged under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme during 2024–25, offering opportunities to learn within establishments.

My responsibilities in badminton and the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association also make sports employment relevant to this discussion. Competitions require coaches, physiotherapists, technical officials, venue managers and communications professionals. Sports sponsorship, media spending and endorsements reached Rs 18,864 crore in 2025, according to the WPP Media’s Sporting Nation report. These commercial segments illustrate the professional activity surrounding athletic performance. Students should understand the qualifications required to participate in them.

Parents can make these choices easier by broadening their understanding of achievement. Entrepreneurship, sports, technology, hospitality, skilled professions and creative industries deserve equal respect. Families should give young people the confidence to assess unfamiliar options without treating a change of direction as failure. The objective is to keep government employment open while building a second and third track alongside preparation. India’s youth should enter adulthood with several ways to earn, contribute and progress. That change begins when families, institutions and students widen the question from “Where will I get a job?” to “What can I create?”

(Views expressed are personal)

Viraj Sagar Das is Pro-Chancellor, Babu Banarasi Das University, Lucknow