By Pritesh Khare, India Voyage May 21, 2025

Ever noticed how everyone and their cousin in India seems to be chasing the same handful of careers? Engineering, medicine, IT—you name it, and there’s a stampede of students racing toward it like it’s the last train out of town. Meanwhile, fields like design, writing, or music? Crickets. It’s like watching a herd of sheep all squeezing through the same gate while a wide-open meadow sits untouched nearby. This isn’t just a quirky trend; it’s a cultural crisis that’s stifling innovation and leaving creative fields barren. Let’s dive into why this happens, what it means, and how we can break free before it’s too late.

Why Do Students Follow the Crowd?

Blame it on the aunties—and uncles, parents, and society at large. At every family gathering, the question looms: “Beta, what are you going to be when you grow up?” Answer anything other than doctor, engineer, or IT professional, and you’re met with raised eyebrows and a lecture about “stability.” In India, education is seen as the golden ticket to social status and financial security (Foundation World School). The pressure to conform is immense, pushing students toward careers that promise prestige over passion. It’s not just about personal choice; it’s about family honor and societal approval.

The Creative Void

While everyone’s fighting over the same engineering seat, creative fields are practically begging for talent. Design, writing, music, filmmaking—these are the roads less traveled, and for good reason: they don’t come with the same societal fanfare or guaranteed paycheck. But here’s the kicker: because so few dare to venture into these areas, those who do can charge a premium. It’s simple supply and demand. A graphic designer or indie filmmaker in a sea of software engineers can name their price, filling a gap that’s been left wide open by the herd mentality.

Implications of This Trend

This obsession with “safe” careers isn’t just overcrowding classrooms and making entrance exams a nightmare—it’s killing creativity. Imagine if the next great filmmaker or musician is stuck debugging code because they were too scared to follow their passion (LinkedIn article). India risks missing out on groundbreaking art, design, and innovation because everyone’s chasing the same handful of jobs. Plus, oversaturation in fields like engineering leads to underemployment, with graduates settling for jobs they’re overqualified for or uninterested in. Meanwhile, creative industries starve for talent, stunting India’s potential as a global creative hub.

Encouraging True Passions

So, how do we fix this crisis? It starts with a mindset shift. Parents and teachers need to stop treating creative fields as the fallback for “failures.” Schools should expose students to diverse career paths, from animation to creative writing, showing that these fields are viable and valuable. Society needs to celebrate skills and passion over prestige. And students? Ask yourself: Are you picking this path because it’s your thing, or because it’s what everyone else is doing? Those empty creative spaces are where the real magic—and money—might be hiding.

Conclusion

India stands at a crossroads. We can keep funneling students into the same overcrowded fields, sacrificing creativity for clout, or we can encourage them to explore their true passions. The world doesn’t need another unhappy engineer—it needs innovators, artists, and dreamers. So, next time someone asks, “What are you going to be?” maybe the answer should be, “Someone who changes the game.”