IAS officer Ms Sonal Goel is not only a successful bureaucrat but also a fitness freak and a loving mom to her little ones. She has added another feather in her already crowded cap by mentoring UPSC aspirants. It is a big help to them during Covid-19 induced frequent lockdowns.
Ms. Goel believes that it is her responsibility to share her experiences and learnings with UPSC aspirants and help them achieve their goals. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Goel talked about her new task.
ONLINE TIPS
Ms. Goel has not only conducted her own sessions on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube but has also collaborated with several colleges, universities, and organizations wherein she directly interacts with the students and the committees involved.
She states, “India is the youngest country in the world & our youth is making the country proud globally. My appeal to young India is to contribute towards the nation’s progress in whatever capacities they can.”
THE PANDEMIC TRIGGER
Ms. Goel began imparting knowledge and guidance to aspirants from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Since then she has conducted nearly 100 sessions and webinars that proved to be extremely helpful to the aspirants.
“In spite of having some limitations, civil service officers across the country are making a difference, so much evident during the unprecedented COVID19 pandemic. Empathy, compassion and dedication are the tenets that always remain a hallmark of civil services,” stated the officer.
Being in the service from the past 13 years, Ms. Goel discusses in her sessions – her journey from a B.Com student at Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi to pursuing CS and later on, realizing that her destiny lies in serving the society, which ultimately led her to Civil Services.
“I was already doing CS along with B.Com (Hons). But the feeling to do something for society & choose a platform by which I can contribute towards people’s welfare was backing me from the subconscious,” the officer told Indian Masterminds.
MOTIVATIING THEM
She shares her own preparational methods and how she could not clear them in the first attempt, Ms. Goel inspires the young aspirants to try till they can and not give up in between.
Further, she discusses about her journey and her struggles as no one from her family was in the government sector and had their own businesses or were working for big, private firms.
“The gem cannot be polished without frictions, nor a human be perfected without trials. Do not be afraid of failures. Face them and rise to the challenge,” she says.
USEFUL TIPS
She gives them tips such as whether or not aspirants should take coaching, what medium is preferable – Hindi or English, answer writing skills, how one should motivate themselves and keep up their spirits especially during the pandemic when no face to face interaction is not possible.
Ms. Goel explained through anecdotes how she coped with the pressure by listening to rejuvenating music. She also guides people on how to handle failures and restart their preparation again.
Ms. Goel always emphasizes importance of having a backup career option since there are n number of people giving the examination out of which only a few would get through.
She tries and covers all the important parts of the examination such as Mains, Prelims, Interviews, Writing skills, Answering skills, Exam planning, and preparation, etc. Around 1500 aspirants from across the world take inspiration from her webinars every time.
“I believe it is my responsibility to share my experiences and learning with UPSC aspirants. My real success will be when somebody benefits from it,” Ms. Goel told Indian Masterminds.
