The Day I Became a Graduate

The Day I Became a Graduate: A lazy rainy morning. Feeling as if I could sleep the whole day long. As usual, it was the routine of any teen-to-adolescent guy, just after taking one of the most important exams of life, Graduation 3rd year.

Yeah, in those days, most degree courses used to take around three years. But there were also a few STEM UG degree courses (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and other five-year integrated professional graduation programmes that took more than three years.

All I knew was that the exams had gone well. It was time to party, reflect, think about the future, rest, and repeat. Soon, I woke up with no idea that it was the day, the D-day, the historic moment that was about to change my life forever. For better, I don’t know, but certainly it was not for worse.

Towards Becoming a Graduate: A Long-cherished Dream

My papers in the 1st year and 2nd year had gone well, so I was a bit confident about my third-year exams as well.

I knew one thing from my childhood: your real reward is the degree, without which, even if you complete all your papers but miss one, you won’t get it and cannot call yourself a university undergraduate.

Another couple of words that stigmatised me were “I can’t wear a tie because I didn’t complete my Bachelor’s degree.”

I don’t know how this idea floated, but many among my college friends and later among my part-time work colleagues often clamoured that I couldn’t wear a tie since I hadn’t completed my graduation degree in those days.

I don’t know the logic or rationale behind it, but I let their opinions go. All I did was let them say what they wanted to, but I, too, was sure that one day I would be a graduate, come what may.

I Was Waiting to Be a Mr Graduate

Now, coming to the D-day, I woke up late. Got my newspapers ready. I read a few editorial pages of the newspapers and went ahead with my CV restructuring. Instead of calling myself a graduate in those days, I simply mentioned myself as “Graduation third year, exam appeared and result awaited.”

I desperately wanted to change that “awaited” to “First Class” or “Distinction”, touchwood. I was hoping against hope for the latter because I knew how papers were checked at the university level and how high the scrutiny was.

Just then, my mobile phone rang. I was correcting my CV at that time. I could still remember the shape and size of my phone. It was a lower-end Samsung 2G phone. Anyway, it was a spam call and wasn’t related to my exam or college.

Are You A Graduate? What’s Next

Okay, let’s be frank here. I was not born with a silver plate in my hand. You know the life of a typical middle-class boy as he grows up and completes his college education and receives a graduation degree.

The pressure to perform, work, crack interviews, and start earning paisa (money) is what they are used to.

I was also desperate that as soon as the graduation degree was in my hand, I would get a job for sure in any field, as I knew I could handle sales, accounting, writing work, or even teaching through private tuition.

But still, as you know, there is a gap between the mouth and the morsel.

There was no formal announcement of the result. Just out of curiosity, I checked the mobile web and went to the result section of my university.

Now, I feel embarrassed to say that in those days, internet data was not free, and for each MB we used, we were charged. I secretly used the internet on my phone, for which I had to recharge my phone again and again with top-ups! This was a top secret that nobody knew, but I spent around INR 100 (around 1 USD) towards internet charges just for surfing.

Meanwhile, I had already put a paperweight on my book. If I remember correctly, it was actually the book on “Spoken English”. I don’t remember the brand name, though. So, I can’t say if it was Rapidex or not.

The Joy of Cracking Your Graduation Exam

By now, I had already finished my lunch. The time was around 4 pm or something around 4:15 pm. I just checked my result. Since all my exams had gone well, I was keeping my fingers crossed.

And voila! My graduation third-year, B.Com 3rd-year result was out.

I was trembling with unease. You may call it excitement, nervousness, or the sheer uncertainty of what was next.

Next to the aggregate were those two golden words: “First Class.”

Unfortunately, I missed the diamond word, “Distinction.” Anyway, I was satisfied.

I felt a little unlucky, though, as 10 to 20 odd marks added to my aggregate across the seven papers of my B.Com III year could have done the trick, and I would have got my much-cherished B.Com degree with First Class Distinction. Anyway, some dreams are bound to be fulfilled later as per destiny, and that’s exactly what happened to me almost 10 years later!

The Feeling of Being a Graduate

The feeling had not sunk in yet. I didn’t know how to react. First Class and an official graduate.

The joy was insurmountable. I don’t remember if I have ever been happier than this, not even on the day when I got my Class 10 results.

The joy of looking into the mirror and calling yourself a “First Class Graduate” is a different type of swag altogether. And I owned it in style, scoring around 70% in aggregate.

I informed everyone, my near and dear ones, loved ones, and friends about it, and we were all very happy.

The Advice That Every Graduate Is Familiar with!

But one thing was really sickening to the core! Around 90 to 95% of all people, excluding my family members, asked me to compete and take part in government job examinations and try to crack them. Many of them suggested that if I were a government employee, I would get married easily and get dowry as well.

Only my family members (loved ones) knew that I had never wished to be a government employee.

Let me be very clear and say it outright: I don’t believe in dowry, and I am totally against giving and receiving even an iota of dowry in any form.

And that very moment, I realised that the world is truly not just unfair to girls, but to boys as well. Everyone wanted me to crack government job exams. But nobody bothered to ask me what I truly wanted to be in my life.

It was also an eye-opener for me. I realised at that very time that being a graduate or postgraduate won’t help you unless you have a broad mentality and see things with a holistic perspective.

Otherwise, don’t forget that lakhs of guys become graduates every year. But many of them still struggle for good jobs!

A Graduate in the Truest Sense: Is It You?

A true graduate is one who can use his mind, heart, and brain to understand what’s right when 0% is saying so. They are the ones who also point out what’s 100% wrong even when 0% is claiming it to be so.

Being logical, rational, and opinionated for a good cause is far better than following a herd mentality. With a herd mentality, you’ll only get into dark tunnels with no logic in sight.

Anyway, leave that for some other day. I neither took government job exams seriously in the subsequent days nor was I able to clear any of them. But I am really proud of it.

Had I cleared any of those, I wouldn’t have been what I am today.

It’s completely fine. I am single and enjoying my bachelorhood. At least I’m happy. I have neither done anything against my wishes nor forced anyone to do anything against theirs.

In Conclusion

And as we were celebrating the announcement of my result, the rain also suddenly stopped.

Was it giving any indication?

It was only half the battle, and that too on the academic front, which I successfully won. I still had a long way to go and had to win against all odds on the front of life.

Getting a graduation degree and cracking the exam is just the beginning of a new life you’d never planned. Then, you have to decide whether to continue studying, take up private jobs, or prepare for government competitive exams. These days, even launching your own startup can be a good idea!

The choice is, of course, yours. But the stakeholders will be many. Your single decision can influence the lives of your loved ones.