Note

A local LLM was used to rephrase this content.

Not going to college was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have always disliked the Indian education system, and that dislike only feels more justified with time.

Most of my frustration traces back to a single class teacher during my senior secondary years. This was my 3rd school. My family was, financially, a lower middle class, and they saved every rupee to put me in what they called a “good” school. They paid a lot just to get me admitted, and the school staff even questioned whether my parents were educated enough. That question has never made sense to me.

I joined in 4th grade, and honestly, everything was fine until 11th grade. Then that one teacher changed everything. I lost interest in physical science, even though I had once wanted to become a scientist. Before 11th grade, I had never really skipped school. After that, I was skipping at least two thirds of my days.

My class teacher was also my English Literature and Grammar teacher, and she made things deliberately hard for me, just for me. Because of my continuous absence, she would constantly mock me in front of the class, which made me hate going to school even more. Some days I would just sit at the school reception since I was not allowed inside the classroom.

Instead of being in the school, I spent my time learning programming, software development, and computer security. My parents were not happy, and rightly so. Imagine spending lakhs on school and tuition just to watch your kid sit at home staring at a screen all day. It took a lot of convincing, but they finally relaxed once I got my first job in 2020.

I barely tried for the 11th grade annual exams and failed. It did not shock me, but it was devastating for my parents. Even then, they did not get angry. They consoled me and helped me figure out the next step. I left that school and joined NIOS, the open schooling system. It took me two attempts, but I eventually passed. I was relieved that I could finally focus on what I actually enjoy.

I do sometimes regret not pursuing physical science more, but I will not complain about what I am doing now. I like my work, both professional and personal. I also regret not joining a college, but I did not have the grades for the good and affordable ones, and I did not have the money for the good and expensive ones. The bad ones were expensive too, so college was simply out of the question. I might still go back and do a bachelor’s in something I genuinely enjoy. I do not need a certificate. I already have enough of those. The other thing I regret is not leaving regular school after 10th grade and joining open schooling right then. It would have saved me a lot of trouble.

A small note: I was a little dumb to take these risks. Don’t be me. What I’ve shared here is my opinion, not a statement or a fact.