HARD WORK IS A SCAM
- Madhukar Dama
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
The provocative idea that "Hard work is a scam" doesn’t mean that effort is meaningless—it critiques the blind glorification of hard work without acknowledging systemic barriers, nepotism, luck, and inequality.
In the Indian context, this statement resonates deeply in areas like education, employment, politics, cinema, and more.
Here's an exhaustive breakdown of why “hard work is a scam” can feel true in India, with examples:
1. Systemic Nepotism in Jobs and Opportunities
"It’s not what you know, it’s who you know."
Hard-working, qualified candidates are overlooked in favor of relatives or connections.
Example: In government and private sectors, referrals and political pressure often outweigh merit.
Case: Despite topping exams, many struggle to get positions while relatives of politicians or bureaucrats secure high posts easily.
2. Bollywood and the Film Industry
Nepotism over talent
Struggling actors with years of theatre and training rarely make it, while star kids get back-to-back films.
Example: Sushant Singh Rajput’s case reignited the debate on how even talented outsiders struggle in a closed ecosystem.
Star kids like Ananya Panday or Tiger Shroff have smoother entries despite average acting skills.
3. Education Doesn’t Guarantee Success
Degrees ≠ Jobs
Millions of Indian students slog through exams, coaching classes, and degrees but remain unemployed.
Example: Engineers driving Ola/Uber or doing data entry jobs far below their qualifications.
Stat: India produces 15 lakh engineers annually, but only a small fraction get core jobs.
4. Success Often Depends on Caste, Class & Privilege
Generational wealth matters more than hustle
Those from privileged backgrounds can take bigger risks, access better networks, and recover from failure.
Example: A Dalit or Adivasi student with limited resources has to work 10x harder to compete with an upper-class student with coaching, tutors, and English fluency.
5. UPSC: The Great Equalizer or Great Illusion?
Hard work + years of sacrifice ≠ guaranteed result
Lakhs of aspirants prepare for years, with only ~1% success rate. Many burn out without backup.
Example: Candidates spend 5–6 years preparing, only to miss by 0.5 marks.
Meanwhile, some get selected due to coaching connections, interview bias, or category reservations.
6. Business and Entrepreneurship
Funding goes to networks, not effort
Even the best business ideas fail without funding or mentorship.
Example: IIT/IIM grads get VC money quickly; grassroots innovators struggle without English, pitch decks, or networking skills.
7. Farming and Manual Labor
Hardest working people = poorest income
Farmers work from 4 AM to dusk, in rain and sun, yet earn less than a white-collar intern.
Example: A farmer growing food earns ₹6,000/month while a city-based MBA earns ₹60,000 in an AC office.
The inequality is brutal despite effort.
8. Corporate World Rewards Optics Over Output
Visibility > Value
Employees who “appear” busy or network well often get promoted over quiet high-performers.
Example: An IT worker who sends frequent status updates and attends office parties might get noticed more than a coder who silently solves complex problems.
9. Gender Inequality Nullifies Hard Work
Women work double, get half the reward
A woman might manage home, job, and children but still be undervalued or underpaid.
Example: Female professors, bankers, or techies face glass ceilings, despite outperforming male peers.
10. The Lottery of Birth
Where you're born determines your future
A child born into a well-connected Delhi family has a smoother path than one in a Jharkhand village—regardless of talent.
Example: Urban kids access JEE/NEET coaching early, while rural students often lack basic science labs.
11. Lack of ROI on Hard Work
Long hours, low returns
Indian work culture glorifies overworking (especially in IT, medicine, teaching), but salaries remain stagnant.
Example: A teacher working 12 hours with tuition classes earns ₹20,000–₹25,000, while influencers make the same from one brand reel.
12. Luck Plays a Massive Role
Timing, chance, and randomness > effort
Viral content, chance meetings, and one retweet can change lives more than a decade of work.
Example: A comedian or YouTuber goes viral overnight, while seasoned stand-up artists toil for years with minimal growth.
13. The Indian Dream is Rented, Not Owned
You work all your life and still can't afford a home
Middle-class professionals work 30 years and still need loans for a flat.
Example: A 9-5 banker in Mumbai can't afford to buy even a 1 BHK in the city without EMIs till retirement.
14. Exam-Heavy System That Ignores Skill
Hard work = mugging, not learning
Indian education rewards rote memorization over creativity or problem-solving.
Example: Toppers struggle in real-world interviews because they were trained to score, not to think.
15. Influencers, Scam Coaches & "Motivational Gurus"
People preaching hard work often profit off your hustle
Life coaches, YouTubers, and MLM recruiters often sell the “hustle” dream while getting rich off others’ efforts.
Example: "Earn 1 lakh/month from home" schemes that ask for upfront payment or referrals.
Conclusion:
The statement "Hard work is a scam" reflects a growing awareness that effort alone is not enough in a world stacked by privilege, connections, randomness, and bias. In India, this hits harder because of deep inequality, cultural pressure, and the romanticization of sacrifice. It’s not that hard work is useless—but blind faith in it, without acknowledging external forces, is naive.
Sure. Here's a Charles Bukowski–styled poem—gritty, raw, cynical, with a punch of street-worn wisdom—based on the “Hard work is a scam” theme:
---
“grind, they said.”
(after India and its holy hustle)
they told me
work hard,
and the gods will notice.
they lied.
they told me
burn the midnight oil—
so I did.
my eyes melted into my screen,
but the boss’s nephew
got the promotion
because he once golfed with the chairman’s son.
in a chawl,
a man lifts bricks with cracked palms
from 6 a.m. till sunset.
he earns less than a Delhi boy
making lip-sync reels
in rented Airbnbs
with fake Gucci belts.
I met a girl once,
studied for UPSC
till her dreams grew mold—
four attempts, five years.
her neighbor's son cleared it
on attempt one.
connections,
not constellations,
decide stars here.
my cousin
writes poems so honest
they’d slice your chest open.
still, no book deal.
but some rich girl
with a Kindle quote page
lands a publishing house
because her father “knows people.”
even God seems to have caste.
even luck needs English.
even success wears sunscreen.
they say
"just work hard"
but they don’t tell you—
the ladder is broken,
unless your surname
fixes it.
still, we wake,
we punch the card,
we bow to the cubicle,
we hustle until our backs give in.
and die
with loyalty certificates
framed on cheap walls.
but somewhere out there,
a lazy rich kid
just made a crore
selling noise
as music.
---