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Hello Everyone,
I visited Dhaka after four years and noticed a lot of changes - fancy roads, a new Metro Rail, and majestic Padma Bridge. However, one thing remained constant - people's preference for status over wealth.
In ancient tribes, status determined who had access to food and mating opportunities. Maybe that is why Bangladeshi’s scarce mindset tends to prioritize status over money.
With increasing wealth in Bangladesh, pursuing higher status has become the primary differentiator. Based on my observations and research, here are three professions in which Bangladeshis seem obsessed as they elevate their status game.
1. Intellect Status: Pursuing Masters or PHDs
In pursuit of fulfilling parents' dreams or inner egos, Bangladeshis have pursued many irrelevant Masters and PhDs. Most of them now regret chasing these peices of paper, feeling they've wasted their youth instead of sharpening their skills.
The status game is even crazier in academia. Maybe only in Bangladesh, a Ph.D. graduate entering academia often prioritizes obtaining administrative roles over teaching or research responsibilities, driven by the perceived higher status and greater control over resources these positions offer.
Despite these situations, the number of students pursuing advanced degrees has tripled in the last decade.(1)Honestly what can anyone do with a Masters of Genetic Engineering in Bangladesh.
2. Prestige Status: BCS Cadre, the most desirable job
In recent times, the movie "12th Fail" has been admired by millions of South Asians. The movie shows the craze for government jobs in South Asia, but it fails to address how millions of people waste their time and energy preparing for an exam that adds no value to their lives.
Every year, thousands of Bangladeshi engineers and doctors who are at the top of their class leave their professions to join the Bangladesh Civil Service. (3) Another half a million other talents stop focusing on honing their professional skills to keep trying to pass the exam.
If the same person puts similar effort into learning practical skills rather than memorizing when Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah died, they could have increased country's productivity. But everyone is obsessed over the prestige of a government job because all that matters is getting a salute.
3. Kings Status: Being a Politician is epitome of legacy
Power is the most admired thing in Bangladesh; becoming an Member of Parliament (MP) is the way to achieve it. An MP is an ultimate status signal, as there can only be 300 MPs in a given period. Every person with money, fame or a profound career is chasing to become an MP because being a politician is the epitome of success. And that is why Bangladesh’s most esteemed Sportsman who had everything, still needed to be a politician to elevate his status.
The problem is that Bangladeshi believes that one can only make a significant impact when in a position of power. However, as power is a zero-sum game, no one is interested in anything other than gaining or maintaining power. (4)
My final Thoughts:
Growing up, I often heard uncles/aunties proudly highlighting their family status by pointing out a relative who was either a politician, civil servant, or a higher degree graduate during the time of British or Pakistani rule. And then how one stupid person who lost all status and wealth by starting his own business. Eventually, I realized that all of the stories had the same pattern - appreciating status and demeaning a risk taker.
We should not want the next generation to over-index in those status driven professions but encourage them to pursue entrepreneurship, which creates the backbone of an economy.
While Bangladesh has produced exceptional academics like physicist Jamal Nazrul Islam, courageous diplomats like Abul Fateh, and remarkable politicians like Sheikh Mujib, the country's development has largely been driven by entrepreneurs and professionals who have sustained the economy and improved our living standards. So we should learn more about those honest stories of success to build a mindset of not obsessing over status driven professions.
Reference
https://www.totalstudentcare.com/news/2023/06/number-of-bangladeshi-students-studying-abroad-has-tripled-over-16-years/49/
https://en.prothomalo.com/youth/BCS-candidates-increasing-steadily
https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=463241#:~:text=Every%20year%2C%20hundreds%20of%20thousands,(BCS)%20jobs%20these%20days.
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/evidence-policy-truth-power-3549751