Is Nepal Really Not Good for the Future?
I recently completed my bachelor's degree, and like many young Nepalis, I keep asking myself whether Nepal is really a bad place to build a future. Almost everyone around me says the solution is to go abroad since Nepal has limited opportunities, low salaries, and an unstable environment. I agree that these are real problems.
At the same time, I think we avoid asking ourselves another question: Do we actually have the skills to succeed anywhere?
Before anyone misunderstands me, I am not saying Nepal is perfect. There are plenty of reasons people leave, and many have no choice. But I also think we are too quick to blame the country without honestly evaluating our own skills.
Many Nepalis go abroad and work labor jobs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with honest work, but it also shows that simply moving to another country does not automatically change your career. If someone has strong, in demand skills, they have a much better chance of finding skilled work over time, whether in Nepal or abroad.
I come from an IT background, so my perspective is mainly about this field. Unlike careers such as medicine, CA, or law, IT does not always require years of formal qualifications before you can start earning. Skills matter far more than the degree.
One thing I have noticed is that we start very late. Most of us focus only on getting a bachelor's degree, and only after graduating do we begin searching for internships. Then we are surprised when the internship pays NPR 5,000 to NPR 10,000.
Imagine if we started learning practical skills at 17 or 18 instead of waiting until 23 or 24. By the time we graduated, we could already have several years of experience, a portfolio, and possibly be earning NPR 80,000 or more. Some people are already doing this through freelancing and remote work.
I am not saying this randomly. I currently work in IT. Getting my first digital marketing internship was difficult. It took me about a month and around 20 to 30 applications before I finally got one. After gaining practical skills and experience, finding another job was no longer the difficult part.
That experience made me realize that, at least in Nepal's IT market, the biggest challenge is getting the first opportunity. Once you can actually deliver results, jobs become much easier to find.
Maybe the real issue is not just that Nepal lacks opportunities. Maybe many of us also lack marketable skills, practical experience, and the habit of starting early.
I still believe Nepal has many problems, and going abroad is the right decision for many people. But I also think we should stop asking only, "Is Nepal bad for the future?" and start asking, "Have I built skills that would make me valuable anywhere in the world?"
Curious to hear what others think, especially people working in different industries.