Clearing the UPSC Civil Services examination is no doubt one of the biggest and happiest moments in an aspirant’s life. Finally, years of toil and hard work pay off. Their entire life changes as they crack the toughest examination of the country. Congratulatory messages, media interviews, praises, and blessings from well-wishers … flood their lives. And the biggest achievement of all – becoming a civil service officer and being able to help the people and contribute to the nation’s development.
But what happens to those who were, unfortunately, unable to clear the exam? While some break down with utter disappointment and believe that it’s the end of the world for them, some others collect their broken pieces, join them together, and either gear up for the preparation again or move on in their life to achieve success in other fields.
Indian Masterminds talked with top psychiatrists of the country for their views on how ex- aspirants should motivate themselves to get over their initial disappointment and move on with their lives to achieve success in other avenues.
SUPPORT GROUP
The transitioning period after failing to clear the UPSC examination is a grueling experience and a Twitter community called ‘Shores Beyond UPSC’ is helping ex-aspirants to transition with ease, by sharing stories of people who could not clear UPSC exams but are now doing extremely well in different fields of life.
The page shares stories of numerous people from across the country who had tried to get into civil services multiple times but couldn’t. Not only this community but IPS officer, Mr. Prabhat Kumar also shared on Twitter stories of ex-aspirants who couldn’t crack UPSC but are now excelling in other fields.
Here is his motivational Twitter thread:
EXPERT TALK
Eminent psychiatrist of AIIMS, Delhi, Dr. Dharmendra Singh told Indian Masterminds that “Aspirants should understand that apart from their talent and approach, they need to have patience in themselves, which is a key factor while giving such competitive examinations.”
He further talks about the aspects that may hamper an aspirant’s mental health. He cites the lack of good coaching centers in some parts of the country (due to which some are not able to get the same type of guidance as others) which forces some aspirants to come to big cities and start living alone in a strange place with no support system. This can affect one’s mental health gravely, he said.
“You have your dream, and you have caliber in yourself. Put it to its optimum use. If one door is closed, there are a hundred others that are still open for you to explore. Just believe in yourself and you will definitely achieve success in life,” he advises.
Well-known psychiatrist from Lucknow, Dr. Neeraj has penned down a beautiful note for the ex- aspirants who couldn’t clear UPSC.
He writes: “Dear aspirants, I would say, the moment you had the courage to start your journey towards your dream, you had already promised to put together all the effort, whatever it takes. Amidst the preparation years, failure or missing out on the cutoff is what you had already acknowledged. Now, what comes is to keep your calm and make an honest evaluation and not to give up!”
The famous words of Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam still hold true: “Failure will never overtake me if my definition to succeed is strong enough. So, that one last time… shield yourself with the stubbornness of ‘I have to do it’ and ‘I will do it’ because when the real day comes, it will really be worth all the sacrifices.”
Indian Masterminds wish the best of luck to every ex-aspirant as they begin a new adventure, a new journey in life.
