The need of the hour – Entrepreneurship!
People talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and whatnot as the future where jobs lie. However, I think the most important subject educators should teach students from a young age is Entrepreneurship. Rather, schools should allow students to start and run businesses once they reach an age where they can handle that responsibility. Of course, the age-old question of whether entrepreneurs are born or made will always remain. But let us keep that aside in this article.
Everyone agrees that the current time is ripe for entrepreneurship, i.e. there has never been a better time than this. But alas! The reality is very harsh. Yes, some people might find it easy to start not just one but several businesses! Although I am calling it easy, there is no such thing as easy in this universe, right? However, one thing is clear. Not all people are born to be entrepreneurs.
Opening a new business is not easy!
Why is it so difficult to start a business in a new place? Or for that matter, why is it difficult to start in the first place? With cutthroat competition dominating every business, starting afresh has become difficult. However, there is so much talk about artificial intelligence (AI). It can create and ramp up an existing business, no matter where it shifts, right? However, the reality is far from the truth.
On this month’s 27th, it will be nearly six months since I shifted to Kadapa. Along with my Homeopathic practice, I am looking for new businesses to start. Just deciding what to start is taking so much time! I am yet to open my academy here. No one wants to collaborate anymore on anything.
Especially in Homeopathy and other allied systems of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) called AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy), the motto is all about me, me, and me ONLY! You think I might be exaggerating! Maybe, I have not come across the right partners.
When someone like me who holds a ‘so-called’ highly educated background (an Indian BHMS degree, an incomplete Master’s in Psychology, and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the USA), one can imagine the plight of those with lesser education and fewer privileges!
We need to remove our imaginary mental blocks
Like probably other kids, I too dreamt of entrepreneurship when I was young. My mom used to prepare biscuits with wheat flour, sugar, and eggs. I used to calculate the selling price of these biscuits. That’s all.
There were no real-life entrepreneurship lessons like running a ‘lemonade’ stand or selling newspapers in the morning (at least one of my ex-school classmates attempted this. Today, he runs a successful financial investment company today), etc. As a faculty at an Indian private university, I attended faculty development programs on entrepreneurship.
Plus, with the perennial ‘mid-way’ hanging mentality of the vast middle class to which I too belonged and still belong, it is a little bit difficult to come out of our self-imposed ‘mental’ constraints!
And we never come out of our shells. I have always said this before and repeat it here again. The rich have access to adequate finance and can take risks. The poor do not hesitate to get their hands dirty.
I believe the ability to get one’s hands dirty and the dignity of labor will help one become an entrepreneur. So, how does one teach them the importance of entrepreneurship among students in schools and their homes?
Teachers should teach students entrepreneurship from a young age.
Students are quite intelligent. They understand the harsh realities of life sooner than ever. But still, today’s generation has become addicted to electronic screens. They stay away from books. So, it doesn’t do any harm to teach them what I was talking about.
Teachers should teach them that nothing in life is permanent, emphasizing that life is short. A rich person can become poor overnight and vice versa. Parents should teach children to save money for a rainy day from a young age. They should be allowed to learn the nitty gritty of whatever business or job their parents are involved in occasionally. Of course, no one or nothing should affect their studies.
Schools should compulsorily include entrepreneurship as a subject. They should invite successful businessmen to deliver talks and involve the students in interactive sessions. I remember we had clubs of all sorts like Nature Club, Language Club, etc. Similarly, an Entrepreneurship Club isn’t a bad idea at all! I am sure some ‘forward-looking’ schools might already have this. But it would be great if nearly all schools start doing this.
Give students responsibility from their childhood
Initially, students should receive permission to contribute to small tasks at home and in school. They could observe the proceedings in school canteens or other locations where financial transactions occur. Gradually, teachers should encourage students to launch their startups. Periodical hackathons on different types of businesses should become a permanent fixture on every school’s agenda.
I used to run errands of my home from a very young age. Today’s generation seems a bit averse to doing this. It is a routine and hectic schedule for today’s students – School, Tuition, Sleep and the same cycle over and over again. They should shoulder at least a few responsibilities of their homes right from the beginning.
What do you guys and ladies think? Please share your thoughts by leaving comments here or emailing me at jameel dot shaik at gmail dot com. Thank you and goodbye.