Why I Think the Education System Is Broken — And How I’m Growing Outside It

Let me be brutally honest. The education system feels like a scam. It promises to prepare us for the real world, but all it does is teach us how to pass exams, memorize outdated theory, and follow orders. And the worst part? Most of us know this - but we’re too afraid to say it out loud because we’ve been told “this is just how it works.”

Well, it shouldn’t work like this anymore. Not when students have access to so much more outside the four walls of a classroom.

The System Failed Me - But I Didn’t Fail Myself

I’ve learned more from building real-world projects with my club than I ever did from any semester syllabus.

I’ve contributed to open-source. I’ve built tools that people actually use. I’ve been mentored by seniors, reviewed PRs, attended FOSS conferences, collaborated with talented strangers online, and pushed myself to think and create.

And all of this? Happened outside college hours.

Inside class, I listen to professors reading off slides. I’m taught to remember definitions and write theoretical answers in an exam that will never help me in the real world. If I miss a class because I was busy solving a real problem or working on a project - I get punished for “lack of attendance.”

Let that sink in: building skills that matter is punished, and memorizing answers is rewarded.

What Is the Point of This System Anymore?

  • Why are we still being taught things that are 10+ years outdated?
  • Why is learning measured by grades and not by growth?
  • Why aren’t students encouraged to build, fail, explore?
  • Why is a student with real-world skills seen as a “distraction” in class?
  • Why do teachers often resist any change, even if the students are clearly ahead?

This is not just inefficiency - this is intellectual malpractice.

Clubs, Communities, and Self-Learning Saved Me

If I had to depend only on college to teach me tech, I’d still be writing “Hello World” in C and thinking I was a coder.

Instead, my growth came from:

  • Tech clubs that encourage peer learning and mentorship.
  • Communities like amFOSS, where we build, review, share, and grow.
  • YouTube, GitHub, online documentation, and forums that teach more in an hour than a semester-long subject.
  • Real projects that break, crash, and challenge me - and force me to grow.

I didn’t just learn to code. I learned how to think, debug, ask for help, review others’ work, understand product needs, and collaborate across time zones.

None of this comes from rote memorization. This comes from doing. From living in the real world.

The Problem Is Deeper Than Just a College

This isn’t just about one bad curriculum or one outdated professor. It’s about a deep cultural flaw in how India views education.

  • Parents chase degrees, not skills.
  • Colleges chase marks, not progress.
  • Recruiters chase CGPA, not contributions.
  • Society chases government jobs, not innovation.

We’ve equated success with blind obedience to a system that hasn’t evolved in decades. And that’s why so many brilliant students get lost in the system - instead of being empowered by it.

What I Want to See Change

  • Normalize learning outside college: Make space in the curriculum for open-source, internships, hackathons, and side projects.
  • Respect modern skill sets: Contributing to GitHub or building a SaaS should carry as much weight as scoring 95 in a theory paper.
  • Kill the fear of attendance: Students should want to attend classes, not be forced to.
  • Bring in real mentors: Let industry experts, not just professors, guide student learning.
  • Focus on application, not repetition: Let students build. Let them fail. Let them grow.

My Message to Students Like Me

If you’re reading this and feel the same frustration - you’re not alone. The system might be dumb, but you have power. The internet is your teacher. Communities are your classroom. Your projects are your portfolio.

Don’t let a mark sheet define your value. Don’t wait for a syllabus to give you permission to learn. Start now. Build something. Break things. Fix them. Share your work. Grow outside the system - because that’s where the future is.

This is not a rant. This is a wake-up call. Because we don’t need to escape the system - we need to outgrow it.