Every big dream starts with a dreamer, and Shivangi Baghel has proved it. She left a well paying MNC job and was undergoing training for a government post, when she took the decision to follow her dream instead of working in a field which was not her first choice. So, she quit and gave the state civil services exam and is now on her way to becoming a deputy collector.
Remarkably, she cracked MPPSC-2019 with Rank 2. This was her first attempt in this exam. However, the journey has not been easy for her. She along with her entire family had Covid during the pandemic while she had to take care of her mother who was suffering from some health complications. She also had to join fellow batch mates in fighting court cases against the delay in the declaration of the MPPSC results. But, the gritty girl overcame all the battles to achieve her dream.
Interacting with Indian Masterminds, she narrated her emotional journey in detail.
JOURNEY SO FAR
She started the civil service journey in 2019, after completing post graduation. That time she had got selected for a well paying Job in a MNC in Hyderabad. But, she left the job within a month of joining to prepare for MPPSC.
She gave her first attempt in 2019. She has cracked it with Rank 2. Due to various reasons, MPPSC-2019 exam procedure got delayed and results came out after 4 years.
In the meantime, she gave her second attempt in MPPSC-2020 and cleared it too. She got the post of Assistant Director, School Education Department. But, as the result of MPPSC-2020 came earlier than MPPSC-19, she is already in training for the post.
She also gave two attempts in UPSC CSE, in 2019 and 2020, but was unable to crack the exams.
She said, “I always had a passion for social service. If I can make a difference in people’s lives, why shouldn’t I try? But my family members always told me to keep a Plan B. That’s why I did MBA.”
BACKGROUND
Shivangi originally belongs to Seoni district of MP. But her family is currently settled in Bhopal. Her father is Chief Engineer in PWD in Bhopal, while her mother is a homemaker. She has a brother.
She did her basic schooling from Mandla district till 9th. After that, she studied in Jabalpur till 12th. She did B.Com with Honours in 2017 from Jabalpur. She then completed MBA in Finance and Marketing from Jaipuria Institute of Management in Jaipur in 2019 and was a Gold Medalist.
She is also MA in Economics and a NET qualifier.
MPPSC PREPARATION
After leaving her job in 2019, she shifted to Indore where she joined coaching for MPPSC prelims preparation. After six months, she gave MPPSC-19 exam and cracked prelims.
Her strategy for prelims and mains were different. She had notes from coaching for prelims that she revised from time to time. Apart from that, for subjects like Environment, Current Affairs and Madhya Pradesh special, she did self-study in extra time. She used to study every subject point wise, and focussed on mock tests. Even at home, she solved many mock tests.
For mains, her focus was on presentation of answers. She practised charts, maps and diagrams, and worked on writing intro, body and conclusion. She studied all by herself this time.
She arranged notes from various sources and the Internet. From these, she made her own notes as well. This improved her writing practice too.
She is indebted to Internet. “The Internet was the biggest support for me. It has everything you want. You just have to search properly. Telegram also helped me a lot,” she said. She had given the mains exam in English medium.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
During the interview, she was grilled thoroughly. It was more analytical than factual. She was asked questions on Madhya Pradesh issues and development and current affairs.
A question she was asked was – “If you become SDM, then what will you do for the betterment of the common people?” An interesting question was – “Some years ago, PM Modi said a line for Subhash Chandra Bose. What was it?”
“People feel that interviews are quite stressful. Whereas it is not so. The panelists are quite cooperative. You have to pay attention to them and not interrupt them midway. They ask questions based on what you have read,” she said.
SUGGESTIONS
She advised aspirants, to have a clear mindset. “It’s long journey. But, never shy away from hard work. Never follow anyone’s strategy blindly. Make your own and implement it well. Give mocks as much as you can. There is no short cut. You have to study and study…”
She added that discussions with fellow aspirants also helps a lot.
FUTURE AIM
About her future aims, she said that she is keen to join the esteemed service and see how the schemes are implemented on the ground.
“Apart from that, I am greatly interested in education. So, wherever I get posted, I will work towards improvement in the education sector,” she said in conclusion.
