In many corners of India, there’s an unspoken belief passed down with conviction: “Don’t start working yet, focus only on exams. Then you can start your career at a higher status later.”

And so, thousands of students postpone working to spend not just one or two, but several prime years preparing for government exams, entrance tests, certifications, or professional courses – all in the hope that one day, when they finally crack it, they’ll start higher, better, and more secure.

But there’s a quiet cost to consider.

In those years of preparation, while peers are testing the waters of real jobs – learning office dynamics, building practical skills, growing confident in the working world, discovering what they’re good at and even networking – the ones in “exam mode” stay cut off from it all. The world they’re preparing to enter moves on without them.

When the exam journey stretches too long or ends without the expected result, many are left emotionally and professionally stranded. It’s not just the delay in income but also a delay in self-trust, skill building, decision-making ability, social confidence, and clarity about what one really wants from a career.

And ironically, when they do start working, some of them may even end up at the same entry level they once thought they could skip, just with more years behind them and less experience in hand.

I went through this myself during my CA Final preparation. I remember wanting to take up a job, to feel like I was actually moving, using my skills and building a foundation for my career; to feel like I was at least starting somewhere – but I kept being told that I should wait, that working would distract me and reduce my chances of passing the exams. What followed was a slow slide into depression, regret, and stagnation (and even work withdrawal symptoms?). The pressure to succeed only grew with each attempt, but my mental state made it harder to study or perform, and soon it felt like being stuck in a loop with no momentum.

Later, when I began working in IT instead, I allowed myself to study alongside jobs – and I ended up completing two degrees that way. This time, I was working, learning, earning, growing and moving forward in the professional world at the same time. My mental health was better and my confidence only grew. I wasn’t waiting for life to start – I was already in it.

I understand it may not work for everyone and some careers do require full-time, focused preparation. But it’s worth asking if a job should always be seen as an obstacle to our academic goals? Or could it be something that complements our academics and even provides overall professional growth?

Because waiting for the perfect entry point sometimes means missing the doors that were already open.