Clearing the UPSC CSE, one of the most prestigious and toughest examinations in India, is a dream for those youths of the country who want to go for government service and serve the common people. Some aspirants get quick success in the exam while some take years. But, there are those who never taste success in the exam. And for them, life is not easy. Years of preparation and then failures shake their confidence and there are instances of some aspirants even ending their life in despair.
Especially for such aspirants, CEO of Global Governance Initiative (GGI) – a policy consulting, management and sustainability platform – Mr. Naman Srivastava took to Twitter to share his own experiences. Like them, he is a former UPSC aspirant, too.Mr. Srivastava shared a long thread of suggestions filled with emotions for those who have failed in UPSC CSE. His thread soon went viral and garnered more than 2500 likes and more than 315 retweets. In his long thread, he shares his experiences in detail to drive home the point that even after failing in UPSC, an aspirant can dream of a good future and a better life.
WHAT DOES LIFE LOOKS LIKE IF YOU FAIL IN UPSC
In his first tweet, Mr. Srivastava wrote: “Five years ago, I missed the UPSC final list by 8 marks. My score in optional was among the highest in India and my interview score of 204 was the second highest. A few years down the line, I’m in Istanbul.”
MBA
In his second tweet, he wrote about the future plans that were instilled in his mind at that time after failing UPSC. “Discussing with one of India’s entry-level diplomats, whether it makes sense for him to leave the services and do an MBA. India has changed: We aren’t a 20th-century socialist economy anymore.”
LIBERALISATION
In his third tweet, he wrote: “With the advent of liberalisation, state control of power has shifted from generalist civil services to specialised well-trained professionals. The current Joint Secretary of Civil Aviation is an MBA from IIM A and was a partner at KPMG.”
OPPORTUNITIES
He then talks about global opportunities that can be pursued even without cracking UPSC. “Our Prime Minister’s OSD worked Pro Bono as an intern with him initially. And there are 100 others who are laterally hired and are contributing immensely through their work. In fact, at GGI, we recently collaborated with the office of Jayant Sinha – when he was hiring for his OSD – and a few GGIians were invited to interview for the position.”
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
Mr. Srivastava is currently working as the Chief Executive Officer at Global Governance Initiative and his company collaborated with the office of Jayant Sinha, when he was hiring for his Officer on Special Duty (OSD). He points to CEOs of US tech giants to draw attention to the large-scale impact they have created.
“Working for Society Narrative: If Sunder Pichai or Satya Nadella had cleared UPSC – they would be working as a Collector in Greater Noida. It is no small feat. But, the large-scale impact that they have created is insurmountable to ones that could have been created while sitting in the office in Noida.”
CIVIL SERVICES ISN’T THE ONLY ROUTE
He further advised against drawing a line. “Please do not draw a straight line – a lot of good stuff hasn’t been invented yet. It is extremely critical that good people become part of the government, but please note – civil services isn’t the only route in 21st Century Modern India.”
CONCLUDES WITH YOUTUBE VIDEO LINK
He ends his long Twitter thread with his Youtube video link, where he shares his thoughts and talks about how UPSC aspirants can make a change by working for international organisations.
“In my YouTube videos, I will focus on how UPSC aspirants can make pivots in the World Bank, United Nations, BCG, etc. I will also talk about how they can better prepare for civil services.”
“Do let me know, what topics would you want me to cover,” he wrote in conclusion.
