Baku — August 28, 2025
Azerbaijan’s young generation lives in a paradox. On paper, the country boasts a growing number of universities, international programs, and diploma-holding specialists. In reality, too many graduates dream of leaving — and not returning. The “suitcase mood” has become the defining feature of this generation, driven not by the romance of the West but by hard realities at home.
Education Without a Future
Each year, Azerbaijani universities churn out thousands of graduates. Yet the domestic job market remains narrow and stagnant, incapable of absorbing them. A fresh diploma often leads to a dead end: either accept a low-paid job far from one’s field or leave to pursue opportunities abroad. The result is a system that produces talent for foreign economies — not for Azerbaijan.
One-Way Ticket Dreams
For many students, a foreign scholarship or internship is less a learning opportunity and more an escape route. The reason is painfully clear: at home, careers are decided less by merit than by connections. When competence takes a back seat to patronage, ambition burns out fast — and exit becomes the only rational choice.
A Country of Contrasts
Baku parades new skyscrapers and international summits. But beyond the capital, young people see little change. Education is heavy on theory, light on practice; prospects are defined by bureaucracy, not innovation. The gap between Azerbaijan’s global image and its local reality deepens the sense of hopelessness.
What Must Change
If Azerbaijan truly wants to keep its youth, it must:
Build a labor market where qualifications, not connections, open doors;
Invest in regional universities and create domestic internship pipelines;
Develop real innovative industries that generate jobs, not just glossy projects for PR.
The Future Leaves Through the Airport
Youth are not an abstract “social group.” They are the future of the nation. And while the brightest minds board planes with one-way tickets, official talk of a “new economy” and “human capital” rings hollow. The brutal question remains: who will build tomorrow if today’s graduates no longer believe in it here?
