Those paying attention may have noticed a growing group of young people turning away from short-term rewards and choosing work that takes years to understand and far longer to command. In colleges across India, this pattern is visible in batches that look more focused on individual mastery than the peer-driven learning that defined earlier cohorts. Students spend long evenings with specialised tools, long mornings on practice routines, and long weeks on self-directed projects that demand patience rather than applause.
Dr R Shridhar, Vice Chancellor of Kalinga University in Raipur, says he has watched this pattern intensify with each new cohort. Because he still teaches, he sees these changes unfold in the classroom as well as the campus at large. What stands out to him is an increasingly strong preference for working alone, especially when the goal involves creative, technical, or career-linked skills. “Every batch is different now. Even one year makes a difference in how students work. In the latest cohorts, I’ve noticed that many students try to build skills by themselves, going through material on their own and focusing on their goals without joining group activities,” he explains.
It should be noted that this tendency does not always signal withdrawal. For a number of students, depth offers a sense of control during an unstable period of life. They recognise that certain capabilities become real only after long practice. They also recognise that learning environments have changed; with abundant digital material, they do not need to wait for a class or a group to begin exploring an idea. What earlier generations treated as optional enrichment now seems foundational to many.
Yet the same instinct can lead to narrower routines. Shridhar observes that some students pull away from friends and wider campus activities as they pursue their goals. He believes this can impose a cost if it continues without social support. “When students run behind a goal for a long time, they do not always see the limits at first. After achieving certain things, some start feeling lonely when they realise there is nobody to share their success with, and that creates difficulty in continuing the same way,” he says.
He is quick to note that his concern is not about ambition itself. It is about what happens when ambition loses contact with community. Depth involves long periods of uncertainty, which are easier to navigate when there are peers, mentors, or teachers nearby who can correct, push, or steady a student through difficult phases. Without that support, long-term goals can feel heavier, and students may mistake normal difficulty for personal failure.
Shridhar attributes part of the change to the environments these students grew up in. Many have spent years engaging with digital material long before formal education asked anything from them. Tutorials, practice sheets, open-source repositories, and informal guides create a sense that mastery is a private journey. “Students today learn many things online by themselves, often with just their phone. It’s convenient and gives them confidence, but it also means they may not seek help when the work becomes complex. They believe they must handle everything alone,” he notes.
The result is a paradox. Young people are pursuing deeper goals at a younger age, yet they are also more exposed to the emotional challenges of doing so without broad support. Some gain remarkable expertise quickly. Others experience long cycles of effort without visible results, which can affect confidence. The difficulty is not new, but the starting point has moved earlier, and the solitary nature of learning has intensified it.
At the institutional level, Shridhar thinks colleges could help by engaging more deliberately with students outside academics. Teachers, he says, should not limit themselves to subject delivery. “Faculty involvement needs to go beyond classroom teaching. When teachers act as mentors and guides as well, and when they stay in touch with families, students develop a more stable foundation. Academic skill and personal development must be connected,” he says.
Young people today encounter abundant options, constant information, and an expectation that they must define their own trajectory early. For many, this encourages responsibility and ambition. For others, it produces pressure without direction. The common thread is that depth requires more than individual focus. It requires an environment that recognises how demanding sustained work can be.
Despite his caution, Shridhar agrees that the interest in long-form learning and long-range projects signals a meaningful change. Students seek competence, not only recognition. They want to build something durable, even if it takes years. What they often lack is structured support in the periods when enthusiasm gives way to difficulty. “A community effort is needed. Families, faculty, and institutions must stay connected with students, because that is the healthy way to guide young people. When that happens, depth becomes productive, not isolating,” he says.
The rise of long-form ambition reflects a complicated moment in post-pandemic adolescence. Young people are choosing slower paths in a fast culture, and they are willing to stay with demanding work for extended periods. The challenge now is not to discourage their focus, but to ensure that the pursuit of mastery is matched by the presence of people who can help them carry it. The long game depends on both.