Bold ambition and single-minded focus can help anyone achieve their goals, especially in the highly competitive Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) qualifying exams, said S. Krithiga, District Forest Officer, Tiruchi, on Monday.
The Indian Forest Service officer from the 2019 batch, with an all-India ranking of 18, was addressing students of A.I.M.A.N College of Arts and Science for Women at an orientation meeting organised by The Hindu Civil Services Aspirants’ Club in collaboration with Shankar IAS Academy on Monday.
Ms. Krithiga, an engineering graduate, said she was inspired in 2015 by the experiences of another woman candidate who had spent five years in pursuing UPSC and felt that this was a challenge she could take up, despite having limited exposure to civil services.
“I was diligent in my studies and did not worry about the competition. So, I was able to pass my preliminary and mains in the very first attempt. But I lost my nerve in the interview round, and failed to get through,” she recalled.
The District Forest Officer said she was able to clear the exams finally in her fourth attempt. “I decided to stop worrying about what others were doing and concentrate on my own preparation. When you dare to dream, make sure your goals are big, because you will achieve them if you work hard. The second thing I learned was that the competition is only within your head if you prepare for the exams with full focus you will succeed eventually,” she said.
Ms. Krithiga said that while aspirants had greater access to curated content and UPSC tutorials these days, it was essential for them to regularly read reputed newspapers such as The Hindu in order to improve their oral and written communication skills.
C. Prabakar, branch manager, Shankar IAS Academy, advised students to explore job opportunities in government service with the help of preparatory programmes.
Published - August 12, 2024 06:37 pm IST
