From Coop to Cubicle: The Fable of the Graduating Chickens

 From Coop to Cubicle: The Fable of the Graduating Chickens

A flock of chickens was being loaded from a farm into a transport van. As the engine rumbled to life, one hen whispered to another, "We finally made it! We’re free from this farm. Now, we can explore and have a great time."

Back in the pen, a young chick watched them leave with envy. "Our turn will come soon," it thought.

The bitter irony was lost on the passengers of that van. They didn’t realise their journey was nearing its end. Soon, one would become a "Chicken 65" appetiser, like cream of chicken soup, another a creamy "Butter Chicken," and others still, a "Chicken Tikka" or a spicy "Schezwan" dish. The unspoken purpose of their rearing was always the same: to be converted into protein-rich food, nourishing customers and sustaining the profitable ecosystem of the poultry industry.

If you felt a pang of sympathy for those chickens, that’s understandable. But this isn't a plea for animal rights. This fable holds a hidden mirror to our own world.

Think of the young college graduates, polished and placed by institutions focused on "employability." Like those chickens leaving the coop, they celebrate their placement as a hard-won freedom, believing the workplace to be their final, glorious destination.

They don't yet see what comes next.

They will be roasted in the form of blunt feedback, marinated in occasional (and strategic) appreciation, cut down to size during appraisals, and grilled relentlessly in high-pressure meetings. For a chicken, the game ends at slaughter. For a young professional, the "fun" of campus ends, and a continuous cycle of turmoil begins.

The chicken, at least, gets a proud name on the menu card. The young employee, however, often gets labelled with dispassionate tags: "lacks ownership," "not a team player," "slow starter."

There is one crucial difference, of course. The young professional, unlike the chicken, can look for a new van—another job—hoping for a better life. Yet, too often, they find the same kitchen, just a different chef. The game remains largely unchanged.

The core issue lies at the beginning. Academia, in its relentless focus on producing "saleable" candidates for the corporate market, often forgets its greater duty. It is not merely about preparing a person for a workplace; it is about preparing them for life—fostering resilience, critical thinking, ethical grounding, and a sense of self beyond a job title.

Until this is realised, we will keep mass-producing graduates like battery-farmed chickens: their primary objective being marketability, and their destiny a pre-ordained cycle they are utterly unprepared to navigate.

 

M.L. Narendra Kumar