Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Why art and humanities graduates need to start up

February 12, 2016 09:11 IST

There is a different set of skills and abilities that arts and humanities graduates bring to the table feels Rahul Maurya.

There is energy and thrill in the air for the new generation of entrepreneurs and students having a passion for technology and an enthusiasm for innovation.

When you see news flashing of the recent launch of #Start-upIndia, you may question what it has to do with you.

Let me tell you why, even though you are still art or humanities graduate student, you may want to start taking advantage of the positive climate in the start-up ecosystem straightaway.

1. Non-engineers have been tagged as a less creative breed of students.

We have to admit the fact that this tag persists strongly in the minds of a lot of technology- pros who have passed out of premier tech or management institutions likes of the IITs and IIMs.

Often, BSc/BCom/BA students are reviewed lesser over their capability in tech and start-up events.

So it's now a question of displaying our self-belief and show our potential.

2. We are more social animals than engineers

We are more social and well versed in ground realities, grassroot problems and micro-detailing of daily life functioning, because we spent less time on books and classes and more time outside.

We can protest about anything we feel strongly against, with confidence, arrange a large gathering in no time, interact and make connections anywhere, and have the ability of working in not just a small team but in large groups, which is something all entrepreneurs should know how to do.

We just need to work on our technical side and collaborative learning.

3. We will not be placed easily

Now is a good time to accept the bitter fact that graduation colleges don't get those astronomical number of recruiters promising quality jobs.

It's not that they don't get placed but a large chunk of students either gets into call-centre jobs or something of lesser value, with light paychecks.

So what about our dreams of having a reunion in San Francisco? Should we let go of them?

Absolutely not.

If we have to shape our future by our own hands we need to put some extra effort and get out of our comfort zone to think like an entrepreneur and find solutions for ground-zero problems, in which we are more experienced than others.

For us, entrepreneurship isn't an option but necessity.

There are so many examples of entrepreneurs who have not passed out with fancy IIT degrees, but doing phenomenal work and spearheading innovations.

Taking into account our experience, capabilities and needs we must go after entrepreneurship and create solutions for ground issues.

We must generate more opportunities and set an example for those hesitating to go forward that it's not instruments or money but the robust foundation of any idea that makes a great entrepreneur.

The author Rahul Maurya is a second year student of Rajdhani College, DU pursuing BSc Computer Science. He's evangelising entrepreneurship in his college by initiating group discussions within colleges and currently working on an online ed-stack www.dustack.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Rahul_Science

Lead image used for representational purposes only. Image: Abhishek N Chinnappa/Reuters

Rahul Maurya