The reason Indians keep applying for corporate jobs is that we have this myth that being hired by a company is an achievement, rather than building something on your own.

Despite the fact that India boasts of the second-largest population in the world, less than 15% of its workforce is engaged in business activity. Unemployment is at an all-time low, but that doesn't mean people feel inclined to start up new businesses. A recent McKinsey Global Institute report has pegged the country's lack of entrepreneurship education and training at $37 billion. With such a large population yet so little interest in starting a business.

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If 10% of Americans had a great idea, they would pursue it. If 10% of Indians had a great idea, they would look for a job in that area.

Indians are famous for following rules and systems. But they don't try to create them! Maybe it's in our DNA. We like hierarchies, organizations, and jobs.

Our educational institutes have a lot to answer for. Most of our children get messages such as “Follow the teacher's instructions” and “Study properly” drilled into their heads from a very young age.

Indians are a hardworking race of people that prefer to stay in structured systems. We like hierarchies, organizations, and jobs. Each role has a specific job and every job has its purpose which we like because it gives us structure in our lives and a place to belong.

In India, for decades the corporate jobs have been seen as a status symbol and a means for survival. With more and more people graduating every year, competition to get this job has gotten tough.

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There are many reasons behind it, starting,

1. the fear of failure: I already have 2 entrepreneurship ventures under my belt and both have failed drastically, such that i have been known as a failed person no one knows me by my name. but still my determination is the same for the startups and business.
2. The “MARRIAGE” : At around 25- 30 the serious age where a opposite person would ask you for your so called “FIXED INCOME”. here your take home salary would be checked and you fixed income is calculated, your incentives would not be taken into account.
3. High Expectations: your neighbors, Relatives and “THE CCTV CAMERA’S OF SOCIETY” (the oldies sitting at your society entrance) would expect you to earn more than their combined family wealth in first year as if you are the only earning member of the whole city and your city depends upon you for their stomach.

These are relatively my personal experience which i am facing in my life at this pretty stage.

Sorry if i would have hurt anyone’s centiments.

Thanyou

Do upvote.

Education: Yes education makes us to focus more on jobs rather than becoming an Entrepreneur.

My father can barely read only language, had no stable income in his hometown and came to Bangalore city with nothing in his hands. He took up a Mason's job, struggled all day to make his ends meet. Now after few years he learnt the trade of construction, started out a building contractor, and after few years he started earning enough to give us all a decent living.

All the while in school, I did nothing but learn, sorry cram my brain with useless historical dates in chronological order. I was forced to learn lines upon lines of proses and poems with exact punctuation, over and over again with out even understanding what was I reading. I was being qualitatively (Sorry again) quantitatively filled up unrelateable facts, after scoring some number, now I'm educated.

Without even being aware of the fact, I was being accustomed to certain way of thinking, I was made extremely risk averse and lure and lucre of a corporate job made to run behind one.

Degrees, marks, gardes, ranks, exams, tuitions amd ofcourse the proverbial Sharma ji ki beta who is my life role model, all I need to do was score more marks.

I'm not against being educated, rather I'm against education and the society failing me to grow to become me. I remember none of the dates I crammed into my brain, nor am I able to think of being in a free state.

Now I'm fed up of my corporate job. But, but, what do about my child, my home, EMI monthly bill, I am now too risk averse, I just suck up and I'm ready to jump into the sheep herd, yes, this corporate job.

Unless people recognise education is only a tool, it will be the same for ages to come.

Some stats from a recent survey on Entrepreneurship in India-

11 per cent of adult population in India is engaged in "early-stage entrepreneurial activities", and only 5 percent of the country's people go on to establish their own business.

So why is the production percentage of entrepreneurs is so less? As an entrepreneur when I thought what would be the reasons for this, I have notted down some of the important points that are actually stopping people to choose entrepreneurship as their careers-

1. Society:

What people think of us is the biggest question mark?As we all know Caste System exists in India and in the age old days this system divided people and also the jobs to make their living

For example the following people should do specific jobs that are assigned only to them and should not come out of their purview

· Brahmins: Priests, Scholars, Teachers and Researchers.

· Kshatriyas: Rulers, Warriors and Administrators.

· Vaishyas: Traders, Cattle herders, Agriculturists, Artisans and Merchants.

· Shudras: Laborers , Workers and Service Providers(Cobblers, Washer men, Babers, Tailors etc.,)

So actually this thought process has started from our ancestors and it is still continuing now as well

In the current generation people (relatives) have a misconception that only a ‘tech-company’ is a startup and rest other companies (still they use technology but tech is not the core) are not startups and they are being looked down.

Laundry, Saloon, Spas, Gyms, Shoe stores, Grocery stores(people usually don’t have much liking towards startups in these segments as other departments dominate the technology department in these companies). To name a few-

1. Camille Albane an international Spa,

2. Bata a shoe retailer

3. PKC Laundries a laundry company

How much technology we introduce into these companies, we cannot make it as a software company. But they are making wonders in their own industries and all these companies are still running the show because they had the patience and perseverance to go to the last mile.

2. Parents Acceptance:

Parents how much ever they struggle, they don’t want their children to slog like them. Their thought is good but in this process they are making their kids dumb and not allowing them to explore new territories

3. Marriage:

Then comes the biggest event of life the marriage. 99% of brides now-a-days want a well settled bridegroom or vice versa. At the same time they don’t want them to take risks. Have you heard of any case where there is a risk free life with high earnings? In India, if you go through any matrimony site/app the chances of entrepreneurs getting married is very bleak. Everybody wants an IAS, IPS, Software professional or at least a Government Official. So going by this trend, people who want to choose entrepreneurship as a career are staying back and going for the regular 9am-5pm jobs.

4. Money flow:

In a business there are many up and downs. It’s not like a job where at the end of the month you will be getting a salary, pay EMI’s, have savings, etc., etc., But in business there is actually no blue print we ourselves should create one and make in follow by everybody. So the security/financial part will have a lot of up and down but we should definitely deal with it.

On the other side of the coin if someone crosses all these 4 hurdles and somehow start a company then there are much bigger challenges-

1. Mentors:

It’s really hard to find mentors of the same mindset(founders). If you find one it is the best case scenario but this happens for very few

2. Investors:

Financial support is the most important part in an entrepreneur journey. Money is not the only part but it acts as a catalyst for taking a business into the next level.

3. Mentor+Investor:

If somehow the startup impresses a VC and gets funding then the pressure of working with these guys is still more higher as their expectations are always high, higher!

Any entrepreneur doesn’t see success in the very first attempt. They should go through many iterations, re-invent themselves and still have the courage, spark, determination, enthusiasm to learn new things to succeed.

To become an entrepreneur one should have will power, the ability to get up after falling each and every time, ability to control emotions, and not to let go that passion.

So instead of going through this roller coaster one thinks it’s better to go for a job, get married and lead a life without any sense of purpose

The truth seems to be pretty harsh, but it’s like that.

#DoWhatYourHeartSays

#PK

India was basically an agricultural country and most of its population was situated in the village's and that was for the sake of doing agriculture. So nearly more than 75% of the population was involved in farming and there was less of the industry and jobs were limited, Everything was fine as the agriculture Indians did was basically from the organic seeds and natural fertilizers were used instead of Chemical Fertilizers, and the village life was prosperous and self sufficient because the village provided all its needs and this was all over India, then came the Industrial Revolution as the Indian government signed the GATT AGREEMENT, and thing's took a big turn after the year 2000 although before the 2000 Indian farmers had started using processed seeds and chemical fertilizers but they also were using organic fertilizers as they had their own cattle used in farming. Now these processed seeds and chemical fertilizers were getting costly by each passing year and the weather conditions were getting worst year by year and farming products lost their quality and the crops that produced were not as profitable as before,highly costly pesticides were also used.Farming became uncertain because of the changing weather conditions and costly seeds and pesticides. The water table also decreased because of huge consumption of water and electric bills were not affordable for farming. Due to the GATT agreement new industries came into form and the employees were paid good salaries than before, so the job sector was a safe and secure way of making money and there were loans offered to employees at a cheaper interest rates and the Banks required only a salary slip to sanction a loan to the employee. Then came the IT SECTOR where the employees got a handsome salary and everyone dreamt of those fancy and highly paid job's, marriage became easy for those having a job as it was considered a safe way of making money, so business and professions were considered a very insecure and uncertain way of making money and living a peaceful life, so Indian mindset gives more priority to job's rather than business and profession.

Here are some of the reasons which should answer your question:

1.) The most important reason I feel which keeps people away from business is people's lack of patience. It takes a lot of hardwork and the learning curve is steep is you want to succeed in business. Since most Indians are incapable of it, they eventually fail. This sets a bad example for others and scares away even the most promising people.

2.) Since demonetisation in 2016, the business sector has never caught up with the pre Nov 2016 levels. Trade has become a stop gap thing with delayed payments and less frequent dealings.

3.) Add to that with the introduction of GST, it has made matters more complicated. Now people are liable to may more tax for their businesses than they were paying before. This plays a major role in keeping people away from the business sector.

4.) Also, the mindset of most Indians is that they want a sophesticated and relaxed life. They think that only a good job can provide that. They are afraid of taking risks. Many of them can not even imagine themselves starting their own business.

5.) There is a age old myth that jobs provide the highest social security among any occupations. It is the way the jobs are visualised in India makes it look like the best thing which can happen to ones life. They don't have the desire nor the guts to want more.

6.) People think that they need a huge investment to start a business. This makes them not to even consider make a dive in that sector. Rather they are simply happy with their old fashioned jobs.

Hope this helps!!

Because they are sensible.

1. This question has a presumption that Entrepreneurship is better than being an employee.
2. This premise is fictitious, both have their own pros and cons. Its upto individuals to decide what they want to do.
3. It is always advisable to gain some hands on experience at every level to manage the top level the best way.
4. There cannot be 1 billion entrepreneurs.
5. Today its a hype that entrepreneurship is better than a job. People idolise a few successful entrepreneurs. with the way they live their lives. Very few know their struggles. And honestly, not everyone will survive that path.
6. If there are 2 success stories, there are probably 200 other who have failed and are working somewhere as an employee.
7. Sundar Pichai, Indira Nooyi, Chanda Kochchar, Satya Nadela etc are few of the millions of names which aren’t entrepreneurs yet, but are more successful than most of them.
8. Entrepreneurship should be a choice. It should be selected because you want to, not because it appears cool. Remember, it appears cool, but the asses are always on fire.

I think lot of things have changed over the years, so I do not agree over Indians not getting into the business. Last one decade we have seen massive transformation in the way the youth of our country thinks & perform. There is sudden surge in the youth creating more startups which is solving a real life problems and to add to that even the investors have supported the good businesses which was unlikely in the past. Let me give few names here: Flipkart, Ola, Zomato, Paytm, Rivigo, Big Basket- All the names that I have taken here have grown like anything in the past 3–4 years. So the ideology of the youth of India has changed and it’s gonna change even more they are all ready to take far more risks and be the creator, be the change.

Additionally we have seen startups like Zomato operating in 23 countries & Ola has just started their pilot operations in Australia. So Indian startup ecosystem is going from strength to strength & are prepared to take on the World.

So all in all things have changed. But since the changes have become strong only in the last one decade we still have quite a majority who are doing jobs but that’s all changing fast.

Jobs provide more security even though the earning useless than a profession or business. Professions require very specific professional qualification {CA for example} that it takes time, effort and less income for several years to get it. Inheriting an ongoing business is not so difficult but starting a new business enterprise needs opportunity, investment, risk taking, possibility of loss etc. Which most poor or middle class families cannot undertake. One solution is a joint family of atleast two brothers one doing a job and another in business. Problems arise when incomes from the two are different, business has possibility of growth, more income.

To get into entrepreneurship, the basic requirements are:

• Determination
• Self confidence to take risk
• Funds

Many Indians having the first two points, lack in the third, while others having the third point lack in others. This is what according to me is the fundamental reason for Indians not getting into entrepreneurship.

Another main point that hinders entrepreneur skills is the usual question from the society - "Which company are you working at?" (Expecting some BIG Brands as an answer).

Children are brought-up in such a way that, getting a job in a Branded (Reputed) company is termed as Success. Rather than encouraging them in innovating new ideas and exploring new things, they are mainly pushed towards getting a standard monthly income job (which unfortunately is termed as "Secured Job") and this suppresses the thought process and innovation skills of the children who dream of creating something new in this world.

Thus, Indians end up in getting 'placed' at great companies rather than creating one.

PS: Percentage of Indians throughout the world working for different companies is unimaginable compared to other countries. Assuming each one of them turns out to be an entrepreneur, who'l work for them? :P

A proud Indian.!

The emotional answer: Because most of us lack the courage and guts to step out of the comfort of a monthly income.

The practical answer: Adding on to User's answer - The option of playing safe is ingrained into our minds right from our childhood. The school tells us to focus on scoring rather than learning. The family tells us to choose a vocation for money rather than interest. The college tells us to take up a software job even when we studied Mechanical Engg. The govt tells us to focus on paying bills rather than creating more jobs. Its everyone and everything telling us that we are fit to be an employee rather than an employer. Its subliminal messaging at its best.

The question is - Can this be changed? Yes, of course. How? Well, I am not learned enough to precisely answer that but I think it will happen by focusing on two main areas:

1) Give entrepreneurs the infrastructure they need. Create friendly policies, create an entrepreneur friendly govt. I see this happening now. The Make In India (political program) campaign is an impressive step. But we still have a long way to go.

2) The education system needs an overhaul. I believe its time we stopped creating an educated, numb and docile labor force for the developed world. The education needs to focus on learning rather than earning. Let's create more educated risk takers. And not just in the IITs and IIMs.

I also think the 2 things mentioned above are inter-related. Its more like a symbiotic relationship. One thing fuels the other and both progress.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that I am a nine-to-fiver myself. You are free to toss my opinion to the trash.

All Indians in general are not good in business; a few of them are and they are very good at business. However Some communities in India are business savvy most notably the Gujrati and Marwari communities. Now on the global scale I think the best businessmen are hands down Americans. Those Americans can enter a foreign market and sell you stuff to the point where those goods become essential and to an extent even a part of modern culture in some ways. Hollywood is the best example, Americans made a huge chunk of the global population friendly towards the US and exported their culture worldwide simultaneously. Now that's genius.

this is a problem is related to our history. what happend with indian, i would like to explain.

about two hundred years english people rule the india.

they were all did, which was suiting them.

such like, one can see the all laws, belongs to police and crime, they described by their own way. they were behaving with indians, like slaves.

almost all deeds of english people were like indian are other people , not like own people, that was different.

if some thing goes many years than that affect comes to the society.

similarly, the education policy of english people, to make many people the clerks or wage worker, work like subordinate, not like boss.

so mostly people in india, works for others, they even not think about own business.

there is a big need to change the education policy in india.

the indian government is positively working for skill development from last few years, may that will make some change in the mentality of indian youths.

Let me try and explain this with the help of this image:

(Image Source: http://figur8.net/baby/2014/11/06/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-and-how-it-relates-to-your-childs-education/)

For those who might not know, this image is a representation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

To explain this in simple terms, it basically says that, starting from the bottom, only once a person has been able to satisfy a particular level of needs, will they start looking at the level above. Quite simply put, unless your basic needs of food, water, warmth and security are not met, you will be primarily focused on achieving them, and will rarely look for solutions to your psychological needs.

So why is this relevant to the question here?

Our grandparents' generation offers pointers to that question
Most of our grandparents grew up in a time when we were still under British rule. This was a time when most of our resources were sent to the British empire, opportunities were scarce and famines were common. In short, it was extremely difficult for them to achieve even the basic needs.

Independence came, but it brought with itself a time of great turmoil. Partition caused millions of people to uproot themselves and move to completely unknown places. The entire administrative structure had to be built again. There were still some princely states that may or may not have become part of India. Infrastructure was virtually non-existent.

It wasn't really a surprise then, that food and shelter became the key needs of society at that point of time. The government job became the most coveted avenue of employment - since it offered virtually guaranteed job security.

But then, why didn't our parents become entrepreneurs?
Actually, they did. Most of our parents got into employable age anywhere between the 70s & 80s. This was a time when India had started getting on its feet. This was also a time when the first wave of entrepreneurs started coming through. Most of them chose industry and manufacturing as their preferred option. Some, like N. R. Narayan Murthy and his fellow founders, chose daring new fields. The difference between these few, and the rest of the country, was probably that these people had far greater food and shelter security to start with, while most of the country was still struggling to attain these. For most of the country, it was still about putting a ceiling over their heads and the next meal on the table.

With our generation, we moved to the next level
The 90s, as we all know, set the foundation for the great economic boom of the early 2000s. It also gave rise to the great Indian middle class. More and more of us suddenly had our basic needs fulfilled without struggle, as long as we could get a reasonable education under our belts. Hence, our education really wasn't (and isn't) about creation, but about sustenance. It was, and still is, designed to help us fit into a world that would allow us to fulfill our basic needs.

Slowly but surely though, it wasn't about the basic needs anymore. Image and esteem started to become important to us. Hence the need arose for the big car, the nice house, the foreign travel, the branded clothes and the smartphone, to name a few.

So what about entrepreneurship then?
Entrepreneurship too, has been on the rise since our generation. However, for most of us, we're still fulfilling the esteem needs.

Entrepreneurship, at its very essence, is about creativity. Its about exercising your potential to the fullest and creating something out of nothing. Entrepreneurship, in Maslow's hierarchy, sits right at the very pinnacle.

It is up to us, this generation that is fulfilling its esteem needs to step up a notch. If not ourselves, then it is our duty to fulfill all the needs of our children, and to give them a push to the next level. Give them the food, the shelter and the security. Give them the love and the recognition and esteem when they do the right things and the big things. Push them and prod them to go out and achieve their fullest potential and become creators.

Then, and only then, will we have a country of entrepreneurs.

I would rather dare say that this is the curse of the present, why even the people of few decades ago. Their only aim is to somehow (even by bribing some one in the selection cadre) and secure a Government job. Once manage to get into- OMG, the kind of facilities they enjoy is beyond any body’s imagination. No body can either question them, nor condemn them. The office time will be say, 9 am. Invariable they will report minimum 1–15 mts. late. Other than bank sectors, the rest of the Government offices, they would go for a tea. They start their work, sincerely only till their lunch time- and they start minimum 10 mts early and return 10 mts, late. Then dooz for a few minutes. Again tea time, and immediately they start to prepare to leave the office. Most corrupt practices were carried out in important offices, like issuing any kind of certificates, Government announced free objects, If any questions raised, their Union comes to save them. And the Government employees going on a strike can never be permitted. Now, the situation is totally changed. All employees are subjected to put their thumb impression and the time noted. In fact their number of working hours are also noted by some kind of observations, I would suggest, the Indian youth to become Entrepreneurs, instead of trading. A true entrepreneur would go to some big Industry as an apprentice,learn the technique,and after acquiring sufficient knowledge start an unit independently. In fact the present Government encourages only entrepreneurs by Make in India, Made in India and help with all kinds of supports

There are multiple reasons for going for job
(a) Social pressure:In Indian society we are more worried what others will say about us rather than doing what you like.
(b)If you do not get a good paying job, you are considered worthless.
(c)The education we get from the very beginning teaches us to follow a set path and be on the safer side.
(d)The biggest reason is security .No one can bet whether or not a new venture will thrive . In India we get only one shot at whatever we are aiming at.If you succeed its good but if you fail,you go back a minimum of 5 years back in your life.
(e)I don't know why but when people think of entrepreneurship, they start thinking about IT start-ups.We need to broaden our outlook, look for opportunities and most importantly ANTICIPATE .
(f)The girls:-If you are not working in a reputed company,boss you may never get a GF leave alone the thought of marriage(Yet another social obligation)

In the current changing scenarios everybody seeks surety and a security. Most of the Indians feel that going to a 9 to 5 job provides more security and surety to their life than going in for start ups and being entrepreneurs. Its about having stability. Indian parents sometimes play a pivotal role in this decision too. Every parent wants to their son/daughter to become successful and have a happy family. To most of the parents happy family would come with a secure job and surety of financial independence. Sometimes its about the financial conditions of the family that tends the youth to stick to a job. I am not saying that jobs are completely secure. They are relatively less riskier than start ups. For start ups and entrepreneurships financial backing is crucial. They need to be sure about what they are doing is going to be successful enough and if not successful enough ensuring that they are not much devastating. Also, even though there are many start ups coming up, they sometime cannot face the competition or are bought by rival large competitions. It doesn't mean that we Indian youth lack innovation. We just might not have necessities for it and sometimes not ready to take risks. It all boils down to whether it provides security, surety and is profitable because even an entrepreneur won't carry on a business if he doesn't find any profits in it.

There are multiple reasons why Indians would decide to work for others instead of launch their own business. Lack of financial resources, a lack of education or entrepreneurial skills, high business risks and competition, inability to get loans or funding, trouble managing complex rules, and a general preference for stability and a consistent income are a few possible explanations. Cultural values may also be important, for example, if stability and job security are prioritised over entrepreneurial endeavours. The choice of whether to work for someone else or launch a business is ultimately personal and impacted by a range of societal, financial, and personal variables.