“The Graduate's Gamble: An Investigation into the Psychological and Economic Costs of Self-Employment in a Developing District Tumkur”
GOPALA K N
Research Scholar & Faculty of M. Com (IS)
Tumkur University, Tumakuru.
Abstract: The research examines how self-employment impacts psychological and economic costs which affect graduate and post-graduate youth residing in Tumkur district, Karnataka because this area is developing from its agricultural foundation into industrial and entrepreneurial expansion. The study investigates how financial limitations and psychological stress factors interact with each other to affect entrepreneurial persistence while evaluating the current institutional support systems. The study employed a mixed-methods approach which used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 125 self-employed youth who were selected through purposive sampling. The data analysis process used SPSS to perform descriptive statistics Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis. The research shows that self-employed youth encounter major financial challenges which include their irregular income patterns (β=0.40, p<0.001) and their operational expenses which they rate at (M=4.92/5) and their dependence on informal credit which shows a relationship of (r=0.70 with capital hurdles). The main cause of anxiety in humans comes from their excessive fear of failure which accounts for 94% of their psychological distress according to research findings. High family support exists at a level of (M=4.87/5) but this level of support does not decrease anxiety levels in a meaningful way. The institutional support mechanisms demonstrate moderate success because skill programs (β=0.50, p<0.001) and scheme awareness (β=0.35, p<0.001) serve as main factors that determine mentorship availability yet the organization of resources and regulatory processes remain problematic (M=3.74/5). The study shows how self-employed youth experience economic instability and mental health problems which require specific solutions that will help them maintain their income and access formal credit while receiving mental health support in entrepreneurial sectors found in non-metropolitan regions of India.
Keywords: youth entrepreneurship, self-employment, economic constraints, psychological stress, institutional support, Tumkur district, India
