If you didn't crack the UPSC Civil Services Exam, don't worry! There are many options ahead for you. Check out these tips from past UPSC aspirants.
This is not common knowledge but some popular personalities have not tasted success in UPSC Civil Services Exam. The long list of dignitaries includes our President Ram Nath Kovind, who passed the exam, got allied services but dropped out, former CEA Arvind Subramaniam, who attempted the exam thrice without any luck, veteran Indian politician Kapil Sibal and popular news anchor Ravish Kumar
Civil Services preparation involves many habits required for a successful career. Candidates who could not clear the exam by few marks have highly specialized subject knowledge.
Hence, they do not face any difficulty in finding a suitable job for their caliber.
What some former UPSC aspirants are up to now-
1. Applying for other government exams
Compared to UPSC CSE, other government exams like State PSC, SSC, RRB, RBI and CAPF are much easier in terms of syllabus and competition. Many people have combined their syllabus with UPSC CSE Exam. This is the logical next step.
2. Other government initiatives to select based on UPSC performance
Recently, SJVN Limited, a joint venture of Government of India and Government of Himachal Pradesh started job offers for the main recommended candidates of 2020 who were unable to make it to the final list.
Similarly, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and NTPC have shown interest time and again to recruit UPSC Interview Selected candidates for their vacancies.
These positive steps by government bodies have proved that clearing UPSC-CSE is not everything. There is a need to look for such opportunities.
3. Following the Fellowship Program
The fellowship is a paid and academically focused internship program for those who want to bounce back quickly in the job market after gap years spent in preparation.
Several programs like Ramanujan Fellowship, Teach for India, Gandhi Fellowship, Young India Fellowship and SBI Youth for India Fellowship have helped candidates either to get high paying jobs in private sector or to research them with scholarships in foreign universities. have helped.
A favorite fellowship among UPSC aspirants is LAMP (Legislative Assistant to Members of Parliament). Here, LAMP Fellows are directly mentored by an MP for a period of eleven months. It is an opportunity to make laws and learn the ropes of public policy.
UPSC aspirant Ravi Kumar Jha, who attempted the exam thrice, pursued the Chhattisgarh Good Governance Fellowship. He is now working as Policy Advisor at Choice International Limited.
Similarly, another UPSC aspirant Riya Cherian worked as Research Fellow in LBSNAA. She is now working for Kerala Planning Board.
Aditya Chopra failed to clear the personality thrice but now he is changing the face of education in Haryana by working as a Senior Manager in Samagra.
4. Climbing the Corporate Ladder
UPSC aspirants believe that they may not be industry ready because of the long breaks they took to prepare for the exam. This is far from the truth.
Many former candidates have excelled in areas such as marketing, data analysis, sales and operations. They have also carved a niche for themselves in sectors like edtech, real estate, banking and insurance.
Before working as a creative designer in Amazon, Vijay Prabhakaran attempted UPSC CSE four times.
Similarly, Surendra BP is now the CEO of Y-Combinator-backed startup PencilHQ. He got the job after completing the Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellowship.
IIT graduate Pulak Prakash prepared for UPSC CSE thrice. Realizing that he should not let his engineering skills go to waste, Pulak began his journey as an Associate Product Manager at Housing.com.
5. Working for an NGO
Why do many people choose to prepare for UPSC-CSE despite the obvious difficulties and setbacks? This is because it is a very purposeful profession where you get a chance to execute developmental projects to the country.
Even if you do not clear this prestigious exam, do not give up on your dream of serving the nation. This is what Rubia Bano did after many attempts.
He is now working as the Regional Coordinator at UNITED. This job requires implementing actionable policies to prevent malnutrition in the areas assigned to him.
6. Becoming a Teacher
From coaching institutes to school-colleges there is no dearth of vacancies for teachers, lecturers, trainers and mentors.
Various counseling initiatives are led by ex-UPSC aspirants.
Vetrivel is working as a maths teacher in a government school after finishing his UPSC CSE efforts.
The knowledge you have gained as a UPSC aspirant and your hard work in judicious preparation for the exam never goes in vain. It is time to redefine what success means to you if UPSC is no longer a goal. There is no fixed idea of success in life.
There are many IAS officers who are not happy with their job and there are many others who have found satisfaction in their work despite not clearing UPSC.