IITian's viral post asks: If your child also needs IIT, was your success enough?

A viral post questioning whether IIT should be a family legacy or a one-time escape route has ignited a heated social media debate. The remarks challenge long-held beliefs about social mobility, generational success, and whether an IIT degree should define a family's future.If you went to IIT and your child also must, you've failed: Techie's IIT legacy debate (Image: PTI)What if sending your child to IIT isn't a sign of success, but evidence that your own IIT degree didn't deliver the generational leap it promised? That provocative question is at the heart of a viral post by X user Akash Sampurnanand Pandey, who argued that IIT should serve as a one-time "escape ladder" for families, not a tradition repeated across generations.His remarks have since sparked a spirited debate on social media. The debate stems from a remark Pandey said he heard at an IIT alumni meet. Sharing it on X, he wrote: "If you went to IIT, and then your son also had to go to IIT, you have failed."He argued that IIT is meant to be a once-in-a-generation launchpad, one that helps families move up the social and economic ladder, rather than becoming a recurring milestone every generation must achieve."IIT launches a guy once, and his entire next generation reaches escape velocity. The 1985 IIT graduate's kids go to Stanford or Harvard, not Kanpur or Kharagpur," he wrote. Drawing a contrast with elite American universities, Pandey added that institutions like Harvard build multi-generational legacies through alumni networks, donations and legacy admissions."Harvard compounds families. Third-generation admits, names on buildings, legacy as the ultimate flex," he wrote. He concluded with a striking observation: "IIT is a cut-throat escape ladder for families to jump their social class. If your kid still needs the ladder, your escape didn't stick. It might be the only elite institution where legacy is a quiet embarrassment."NOT HIS FIRST VIRAL TAKE ON IITThis is not the first time Pandey has stirred debate over IIT culture.Last month, another of his posts went viral after he described his four years at IIT (BHU) as "prison time" for his brain.He said he barely studied engineering, spent most of his time reading history, economics and politics, and eventually built a career outside engineering. His broader argument was that a four-year engineering degree should not define the next four decades of a person's life.His latest post continues that line of thinking, this time questioning whether an IIT degree should be treated as a lifelong family aspiration or simply as a launchpad to create broader opportunities for future generations.LEGACY OR LAUNCHPAD?Pandey's remarks prompted a wide range of responses on social media. Many users agreed that the true measure of an IIT education is whether it expands opportunities beyond the next generation. Others countered that India should build institutions that families aspire to remain connected with for decades.The discussion also touched on IIT's merit-based admissions, with some praising the system for prioritising performance over privilege. At the same time, several users questioned the country's continued fixation with the IIT tag, arguing that many other engineering colleges also offer quality education and successful career paths.A DEBATE THAT GOES BEYOND IITPandey's latest post has resonated because it reframes what an IIT degree is supposed to achieve. Instead of asking whether the next generation should also crack the JEE, it asks a more fundamental question: Should an IIT education be a family legacy, or a one-time escape route that opens up entirely new possibilities?Together with his earlier viral comments on engineering careers, the latest debate challenges two deeply held ideas about India's premier engineering institutes, that an IIT degree should define both a person's career and a family's future.Whether one agrees with his views or not, the conversation has struck a chord by shifting the focus from getting into IIT to what comes after it.- EndsPublished By: Apoorva AnandPublished On: Aug 3, 2026 12:58 IST