Skills Over Degrees: Why Data Science, AI Skills Matter More Than Ever

• Chinmay
• April 2, 2025
• Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, India
• AICommunity, AIInIndia, AIJobs, DataScienceIndia, DigitalIndia, DigitalSkills, EmergingTechnologies, FutureOfWork, IndiaTechTalent, InnovationEcosystem, IoTAdda, IoTCommunity, IoTEducation, IoTJobs, LearnByDoing, MadeInIndiaTech, SkillBasedHiring, SkillsFirst, STEMEducation, TechCareers, TechWithoutDegrees, UpskillIndia
• 0 Comments

In a bold hiring post last month, Sudarshan Kamath, founder of AI startup Smallest.ai, wrote, “College – does not matter. Resume – not needed.” The role? A full-stack engineer with a ₹40 lakh annual package. The result? Over 7,000 applications—a testament to a growing trend that’s reshaping India’s job market: skills-first hiring.

At Smallest.ai, nearly half the tech team are college dropouts or self-taught professionals. And yet, they’re solving problems at par with graduates from top institutes like IITs and VIT. The founders themselves are IIT alumni, but they say it clearly: “Delivery matters, not degrees.”

The Shift to Skill-Based Hiring

India’s job market—once obsessed with degrees and brand names—is now witnessing a dramatic shift. Skills are the new currency.

From IBM to Zerodha, from Tata Communications to MPL, companies are hiring based on aptitude, problem-solving, and project portfolios, not academic pedigrees. Whether it’s hackathons, technical assignments, or hands-on interviews, the emphasis is now on real-world skills—especially in rapidly evolving domains like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and IoT.

Here’s why this shift matters:

• No-Code & Low-Code tools are breaking down barriers to entry.
• Problem-solving, adaptability, and curiosity are in higher demand than ever.
• Project experience and hands-on learning are often valued more than formal education.

Why You Should Pick Up AI, Data Science & IoT Skills – Now

With AI becoming mainstream and IoT shaping Industry 4.0, professionals who invest in learning these technologies are setting themselves up for success—with or without a degree.

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Jobs Report, 30% of Indian employers are already shifting to skills-based hiring—ahead of the global average of 19%.

Hot skills in demand:

• IoT development and integration
• AI/ML model building
• Data analytics & visualization
• Embedded systems and edge computing
• Cloud and API-based architecture

What Can You Do Today?

• Build a personal project and publish it on GitHub.
• Contribute to open-source AI or IoT projects.
• Participate in hackathons or Kaggle competitions.
• Take practical certification courses that emphasize application, not theory.
• Start small but stay consistent.

The future belongs to doers, not just degree holders. Whether you’re a student, a professional in transition, or just curious about tech—focus on building skills that solve real problems. AI, Data Science, and IoT are not just buzzwords—they’re the backbone of the future digital economy.