It is rightly said that preparing for UPSC CSE requires passion to work for the nation and the citizens’ betterment. It also requires a strong mind to deal with all the struggles this exam brings along with it. Mr. Sumit Kumar Rai, a petroleum engineer by profession, wasn’t sure until his graduation whether he should appear for the civil services exam.
However, while working in a company for several years, he started realizing that he is in this world for a much bigger purpose than working in a 9 to 5 cushy job. He did not leave his job but planned to prepare for the UPSC CSE exam simultaneously. Being one of toughest competitive exams, he many failures but remained steadfast on his goal and achieved it with flying colours.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
Mr. Rai was an engineering student, and he completed his MTech in Petroleum Management from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, a prestigious institute of engineering. He was a dedicated student and even received a gold medal for being the topper of his branch. He did his training in the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and interned at Cairn Energy in Gurgaon on the project ‘Completion design for Mangala EOR Injectors: Selective Completion’.
After interning at the Cairn Energy, Mr. Rai joined the organisation as a full-time employee and worked there for a period of six years, from 2013 to 2019. He received two promotions, becoming a Reservoir Engineer and Senior Reservoir Engineer within that period.
In an interview to media, he said, “While I was doing well and also earning well in my job, I wasn’t satisfied. The job was monotonous, and I knew that I had the potential to do more and serve the country better.”
At that point in his life, he thought he is capable of doing much more than an engineering job. Hence, he planned to appear for the UPSC exam to get into the civil services sector.
PREPARING WITHOUT QUITTING JOB
As he had a financial stable life while working as an engineer, he did not quit his job, rather he started preparing for the UPSC mostly on the weekends and whenever he used to get time during weekdays.
The pressure of both the job and preparation was intense, and he already knew that the examination would test his mental strength. In the interview, he said “Every serious UPSC aspirant must understand that the CSE is a test of your mental strength. Each time you appear for the exam, you may or may not clear one or more stages. However, ensure that each time, you learn something new and helps you to grow.”
The same thing which he mentioned in the interview, he applied when he faced failures in the exam. He got to learn more when he failed any stage of the exam, and at the end, he managed to clear it with very good rank.
He used to study 4-5 hours in the morning before going to office and used to continue it after coming back in the evening. However, for him, the maximum time that was spent in the preparation was during the weekends, where he tried to utilize time in the best possible way.
After appearing for the exam four times straight, he tasted success in the fifth attempt, where he secured AIR 54 to get into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
His success story proves that training your mind to be strong while experiencing difficulties, helps to look and plan ahead even in the midst of failures, and ultimately sees one through to the end destination.
