“When you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it”. This time it was Kozhikode Deputy Commissioner of Police Merin Joseph, IPS, who quoted Paulo Coelho to stress the importance of determined effort in clearing the Civil Services examination. Ms. Joseph, a 2012 batch officer, went on to explain how she was determined to choose Civil Services as a career. She was the guest of honour at The Hindu Edge career guidance session organised by The Hindu in Kozhikode on Friday.
“Fix a goal first, then aspire, dream and visualise it in your mind,” she told the Civil Services aspirants from various schools in north Kerala at the half-day session organised at Zamorin’s Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode. She said that reading a good newspaper was the first step towards the preparation for Civil Services and attributed 50% of the credit of her success to The Hindu , in which she preferred to read editorials on a daily basis. “What you gain from newspaper reading is a solid backbone for your preparations for all the three stages of the Civil Services examination,” she said.
She advised students not to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the competition. “You compete with the best talents in the country. But the people who clear the exam are also ordinary people. Set your standards high, prepare in the right manner,” she said.
She said that Civil Services were a rewarding career despite the difficulties in achieving it. “I personally have been able to break the stereotype of the image of a cop. The greatest challenge has been to prove that a young woman can do this job,” she said.
She advised girls to lead by example to disprove the ‘not for women’ theory. “Don’t listen to society. Ultimately, people who discourage you will celebrate you,” she added.
Sessions
In the sessions that followed, career consultant M.S. Jaleel spoke on ‘Career Options’, Clinical Psychologist from IMHANS Jaseem Koorankot spoke on ‘How to Choose a career’, Dean (Research) of Hindustan University Baby Joseph spoke on ‘Career Development’ and Business Operations Manager of Santa Monica Jaya Sreekumar on ‘Education Aboard’. Principal of Zamorin’s Higher Secondary School Murali Mohan was present on the occasion.
More than 250 students and some parents attended the programme presented by Hindustan University and powered by I Learn IAS. Santa Monica Study Abroad Private Limited was the overseas education partner. NSS unit of Zamorin’s HSS was the venue partner while UL Cyberpark was the refreshment partner and Oxygen Digital Shop the technology partner. Two students won Kindle e-reader from Oxygen in a lucky dip.
