This imbalance in educational standards frequently results in an unflattering portrayal of Indian STEM degree holders in global assessments.

Critical to a nation's advancement, STEM education is a vital driver of global competitiveness. India has been a significant contributor of top-notch STEM talents, thanks to world-renowned educational bodies such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). Regrettably, many of these highly skilled individuals seek opportunities overseas. Notably, a third of the graduates from India's esteemed engineering institutions, especially the IITs, choose to pursue careers abroad.

Though India's demographic advantage—featuring a sizable chunk of its population in school or higher education—has fueled the rise of numerous private educational ventures, the quality of STEM education remains inconsistent. Opening a well-promoted engineering college seems to be a surefire way to profit in modern India, regardless of educational standards. While premier institutions uphold rigorous academic benchmarks, many other schools grapple with challenges like obsolete coursework, insufficient facilities, and a lack of skilled educators. This uneven quality often results in an imbalanced portrayal of Indian STEM graduates on the global stage.

In 2020, India churned out an impressive 1.5 million engineering graduates, marking it as one of the world's largest sources of engineers. However, a disheartening 2019 report by NASSCOM revealed that merely around 250,000 of these graduates find employment in their chosen field. Clearly, the mass production of engineering talent doesn't guarantee quality or job placement in India.

On the other side of the spectrum, the United States sees approximately 70,000 engineering undergraduates entering the workforce each year. In the early 2000s, these fresh graduates could expect starting salaries between $50,000 and $70,000, depending on their specialization and location. Over the ensuing decades, these figures have experienced a notable uptick. By the early 2020s, new engineering graduates could anticipate starting salaries from $70,000 to $100,000, with even higher compensations in tech-centric regions like Silicon Valley.