> They think they must work only three years as developers and move to management as soon as they can, otherwise they are wasting time, or they think they are a professional failure.
I am an Indian and to be honest, the hierarchical culture is horrible. People misattribute it to caste system but it is much much more than that. We aren't actually expected to straightforwardly say the professor / senior / elders are wrong.
I am studying in an "engineering" "college" of India. ("top" college by Indian norms, but not IIT[1]). And I totally understand this.
The mentality of 'gaming the system' is deep rooted in education system here, probably because education is so rote-oriented, mechanical and namesake.
[1] I would have difficulty believing current generation of IIT students would be any good either. These days the entrance process for IITs has become pretty game-able and people with money and time do that.