- Civil Services Exams - A view For Aspiring Youngsters -
(Dinesh K Kapila is a Retired Chief General Manager from NABARD).
I have interacted with, you can call it mock interview, of course online and even offline with a few candidates, aspiring for RBI / NABARD. Plus a PSU. And a few others. I find it disturbing that some candidates do not know when to walk away from the attempts. For the Civil Services. The first parameter is to know yourself, you do not require say four failed attempts to know yourself or to then get desperate. The second parameter is to know you will lose touch with your specialisation as the years pass and you remain focused on the Civil Services Exam, self delusion is always strongly negative. Purely academic knowledge is not a plus when you are say 28 or 29 years, with no practical work experience at all or very limited. Thirdly is the perceptible lack of confidence which comes about, how to retain this is the challenge through the years. Years of self isolation can impact. Do not watch a lot of videos glamourising someone who managed to qualify very late. Know your own ability and potential. And fourthly, the later you join, even if you succeed now, say a PSU, the fact remains your progress later is all the while linked to competing against much younger colleagues.
You can always try, once you realise the Civil Services Exam is not for you for a good MBA or a job or add to your specialisation or say do a Masters in Development Management if so inclined. Think about a Plan B always. It is a must. Explore other examinations in parallel. Or maybe regret later. As some do.
The Corporate World including Banks are looked at largely with scepticism by many youngsters, a lesson and point there for senior executives and owners of companies and HR Experts. This is a fact. Even PSU Banks are looked at somewhat differently due to long hours and transfers and targets. They have to build up the trust and I must add we really do require more employment too. It is important that youngsters have to know and understand that each sector or line of work comes with its own flair and operating environment.
But this obsession with the IAS IPS IRS PCS etc. at the cost of excluding all else, no, not at all. Be realistic. This obsession stems from our inherent feudalism and the perceived glamour plus perks and powers plus the automatic promotions but it’s a small number only that will qualify. And this requires another separate post. Except that the Govt also has to do trust it’s other institutions more. And avoid loading a few services with varied responsibilities and powers. And maybe rein in youngsters who qualify the examinations from posting sundry videos of themselves, there is a code of conduct after all. Maybe fewer attempts are a way out too from this single minded approach. .
PS Another aspirant told me that he would rather join as an ASI (Assistant Sub Inspector in the Police) Or as a Excise Inspector rather than work in the nation's Central Bank or related institutions ! He said they were too anonymous !! And the PSUs, he said I would have to prove myself for every promotion !! For me the ultimate was meeting a youngster from a State obsessed with the Civil Services to the level infinity, he qualified as a probationary officer India’s largest bank and then after two years resigned to join as an assistant in the State Govt to appear for Civil Services and then did not qualify then tried NABARD. Let us be realistic.
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