If aiming for Civil Services through UPSC is a waste of time, then it is an absurd conclusion about any competitive exams and the courageous students who aspire for those exams.
I tried the UPSC exam with my job and without jobs to serve the country. It is just a way to get involved in governance.
In the most populous country in the world, wanting to become a professional cricketer, a professional actor, or any other profession requires a very high degree of hard work, motivation, and determination. So, anything that involves competition and a skewed success ratio is a waste of time?
No, as after the churning process of competition, one acquires several skills, not only in the field of UPSC but also in other fields of life.
Nowadays, most good students move to the field of science. UPSC is a way to learn about humanities subjects. Whether they succeed or not, these studies change their vision of life.
I experienced the journey of UPSC very closely. Aspirants take risks with UPSC exams at an age when they can take risks in life. UPSC attempts coincide with the risk-taking youthful age bracket of (20s-30s). This is the only age bracket in life where risks like these can be taken.
And even if it is a failed risk, one can go back to other plans in life. Life continues beyond UPSC. I failed, but now I have a successful career in the IT sector.
Every young person doesn’t want to be a billionaire. I have many friends from IIT and IIM backgrounds; they will never be UPSC aspirants, but they are living in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and serving the country in different ways.
Everyone doesn’t want to be an entrepreneur. There is nothing wrong with being an entrepreneur. But every entrepreneur is not necessarily successful. They have chosen voluntarily to take pain and stress to achieve their aim.
In most cases, life takes a better turn because one has learned so much in the UPSC preparation stage, both academically and personally. If I describe my experience as an aspirant, I find how exceptional I have become because my thoughts and views of issues are different from those of any common person.
Such an ability acquired and developed through UPSC CSE preparation is mostly not seen in conventional educational systems. I don’t support the statement given by Mr Sanjiv Sanyal. He is an author and has been working as an economic advisor to the PM, which is also like a bureaucratic post, for the last 7 years.
If a youth should move into a field where he/she becomes a billionaire, then it is sad for our education system. It is a thought of Chrony Capitalism. Especially in countries like India, where multiple social issues need a group of youth to have empathy values.
Bureaucracy is also an innovative field. Why should all youthful energy be converted into a money-making machine? There is a need for youthful energy for social development too. He discouraged the youth of the country who chose the path of UPSC or any other competitive examination.
The UPSC examination process and the preparation journey are sustainable only for those who are really committed to their aim. Being committed to your goal is a good thing. Such aspirants push themselves hard to achieve their goals.
But the fact of life is that the result is not in their hands. If you fail at anything in life, someone will come up and tell you that you have wasted your time. That is how society is.
For the last two days, I got so many links regarding this, and people wanted my acceptance that I wasted my time. Does his advice give us any alternatives? Did he have any ideas or alternatives for nation-building?
I believe aspirants deserve respect for the path they chose, not discouragement. Such advice should not demotivate them.
