More Indians have a shot at Harvard than a government job. The odds? Just 0.3%, according to CA and educator Meenal Goel, who is calling for a national reality check.

Goel’s viral LinkedIn post dismantles the myth of job security in the public sector with brutal statistics. For the Maharashtra Police, 17 lakh applied—only 17,000 made the cut. The SSC 2024 exam? 36 lakh appeared, same 17,000 selected. UPSC’s odds were worse: 9.9 lakh applicants for 1,000 seats—a 0.10% success rate.

“In the last eight years, 22 crore applications were filed for government jobs. Only 7.2 lakh got selected,” Goel wrote. “Statistically, it’s easier to get into Harvard or NASA.”

Despite this, millions spend years preparing, hoping for ₹30,000-a-month jobs, often without fallback skills. And the system keeps failing them.

Goel highlights recurring issues: delayed results—like SSC 2018’s three-year wait, 70+ paper leaks since 2017 affecting 1.7 crore aspirants, and a rise in contractual roles offering little to no benefits.

Of the 17 lakh government jobs created between 2009 and 2017, 85% lacked employment security. Departments like health and education are increasingly hiring on short-term contracts.

The irony? While the government faces a staffing shortage—10 lakh teaching positions remain vacant—millions still chase roles that may never materialize.

Meanwhile, India’s private sector struggles to find qualified hires. “Tech Mahindra’s CEO said 94% of IT grads aren’t job-ready,” Goel noted. English fluency, digital literacy, and industry skills remain major gaps.

“India doesn’t have a job crisis. We have a skills and expectation crisis,” she warned, urging aspirants to pursue industry-relevant skills and set a two-to-three-year limit on government exam prep.

“If not, move on. Don’t waste your prime chasing a myth.”