To be able to crack the UPSC CSE exam, one needs to study for 7-8 hours, if not more, daily. So, imagine the difficulties faced by those who have a full-time job to deal with. Juggling working hours, coaching hours and self-study at home is by no means an easy task. It requires extreme focus, determination, and the ability to do hard work. And that’s what sets Kajal Jalwa apart from others. She secured 28th rank in CSE 2018 without leaving her job to prepare for the exam. It took five attempts, but she did it eventually. And continued her 9 to 5 job all this while!
Disclosing her `mantra’ for success, in an interaction with media, Ms. Jawla said determination, hard work and patience were the keys to her UPSC success. Today, the IAS officer looks back gratefully on her family, who, she says, was her biggest support. Indian Masterminds presents her inspiring story of struggle and success in the end.
STRUGGLE PERIOD
Hailing from Shamil in Haryana, Ms. Jawla graduated in Electronics and Communication Engineering. She joined Wipro and continued there for good nine years. In between, she got married to Ashish Malik who was working in the American Embassy, New Delhi.
She said, “I gave my first attempt in UPSC in 2012, and before getting married in 2016, three attempts were made. I wasn’t able to crack the Prelims even. Somewhere, I had given up hope. But my husband acted like a ray of sunshine in my life. Both of us were working and it was difficult to manage the house chores along with the studies. He supported me and did everything, from sweeping to cooking. It was because of motivation provided by him that I seriously started my preparation.”
TIME MANAGEMENT
Ms. Jawla also said that till her first attempt in 2012, she was not very much concerned about a civil service job. Appearing in the exam gave her the understanding and made her realise the true value of the job. The experience became the catalyst for the motivation needed to crack the CSE exam.
She continued her job while preparing for the exam, always believing that time management was the basic requirement in the whole process.
“One should never derail from the aim and self-motivation is needed in this journey. You should keep reminding yourself why you want to crack this exam,” she said.
SMART WORK
According to Ms. Jawla, the aspirants should focus more on self-study. It is necessary to analyse important topics in every subject and give attention to them. One should always look at previous years’ questions to know the pattern. “Giving a significant number of hours to each subject is necessary but revision is also very important. It doesn’t matter how much portion you have covered. You must revise it and try to score the maximum with that portion,” she said.
And, of course, leaving a job is not required to pursue some higher dream, as she has proved by example!
