It was a crisp winter morning in vaishali as I set out for my field work.
The
road leading to the institution was lined with the mustard fields in full bloom.
The college was around 15-20 km from my house. As I stepped into the
college , it's building stood modesty at the end of the narrow lane, painted
with faded cream patches of bricks showing though. The college was located
at the core of village, despite its simplicity, the place carried on aura of
determination - an institution where rural youth were striving to carve out
their future.
As I entered the campus, I noticed groups of students scattered across the
courtyard. Some were revising notes, others chatting and discussing with
each other few sitting quietly and calming themselves under the neem tree.
My purpose was clear: to engage with fifteen students both boys and girls
and to understand their aspiration, motivaters and the challenges they faced
in navigating their career pathways. It must have been around 10 , when I
entered the classroom, I introduced myself as a research student pursuing
my field in sociology in south asian university Delhi came here as a purpose
of my field work on the educational aspiration among the rural youth of
Bihar. Rather than conducting a rigid interview, I chose a conversational
style. I wanted the students to feel that they were sharing their stories with
me, not answering a question. This had helped me to build a connection with
them.
I also took the sample that I had prepared as my questionnaire withthe
students and remaining I took the interview in a communicative way.
Ravi kumar, a student of b tech 2 year mechanical engineer student, spoke
with a spark in his eyes. Mam I want to become an engineer in railway that
will
Pooja singh , studying computer science, shared her dream of becoming a
software developer. Her dream of achieving her success was reflecting in her
eyes and she was very clear and passionate, she said with courage that she
want to prove that girls from the rural Bihar can work in Big IT companies.
When I say this among my relatives they laugh and says that it is very
difficult for girls but I believe we can. Her determination was palpable, and
her voice carried both defiance and hope.
Arjun yadav, another students expressed his aspiration to join the Indian
railwaynad technical officer. It's a secure job, and my family will be proud. My
village respects government service more than anything else.
Neha Kumari, a civil engineering students, said softly, when I first started
coming to school my relatives saidto my parents that what she will do with
these degree and study just think about her marriage. But neglecting alll
these things all of them , I chose to pursue civil engineering so that I wanted
to construct my dreams as higher and brighter and prove them that I still can
be able to.
Sandeep kumar, on the other hand was motivated by competition, I see my
friends preparing for government exams. I don't want to be left behind. I
decided to be become as IAS officer and fulfill my family desires.
The conservation about their journey of dreams and goals revealed the stark
challenges these students encounters:
Many students struggle with challenges like financial constraints,
responsibilities of the family, lack of guidance, material and resources,
infrastructure limitations.
Despite these challenges, what struck me most was the collective spirit of
resilience. As I listened to these 15 voices , I realised that their journey were
not linear. Each students carried a unique blend of aspiration, motivation and
challenges. The boys often spoke of stability, government jobs and financial
security. The girls while equality ambition, carried the additional burden of
societal expectations and gender stereotypes, yet their determination to
break barrier was inspiring. I notes how aspiration were shaped by the
family, influencer, community prestige and exposure to technology.
Motivators stemmed from both personal ambition and social responsibility.
In the evening, I concluded my fieldwork for the day, I carried with me not
just notes, but stories—stories of dreams nurtured in small villages, of
struggles faced with courage, and of aspirations that reached beyond
boundaries. Walking back, I reflected on how these narratives would enrich
my dissertation. They were not just data points; they were lived realities. And
in documenting them, I hoped to amplify the voices of rural youth who often
remain unheard in academic discourse.