Aspirants! I am sure many of us have watched the TVF Aspirants series. UPSC, Civil services, IAS/IPS preparation, or just collector banna hain (I want to become a collector)….this is the only dream for lakhs of young aspirants in India. This dream becomes like a ‘lakshya‘ in their life. That’s why we see the best young minds spend their valuable 20’s age in the pursuit of this lakshya (mission).
I should first admit that I never had such a ‘lakshya‘ in my life. That’s why the topic of this article is why I never pursued UPSC preparation. This article will attempt (as per the aspirant’s vocabulary) to shed light on why I never took the Civil Services preparation seriously enough.
We all are aware that the eligible age to apply for Civil services exams starts from the age of 21. This is the minimum age that a person can enter this prestigious service. Now, it does match the legal age to marry as well. Hence, for women candidates, this is good news as the decision taken by the Modi government will help them to apply for this exam without the obstacle of being married, which was only 18 years before. However, the upper age limit is not the same for all of us, as we know it depends on the aspirant’s category, which I won’t get into as that is a separate topic. But generally, up to 32 years is the age limit where all aspirants (irrespective of the category or physical disability can apply) can apply.
That means most of the aspirants are in the age group between 21 and 32, with an average of around 26-27 years old. This is the age when young minds can be trained and moulded towards a particular career stream. This is the age when young men and women, most of them are unmarried and hence can find enough time without any familial responsibility (not always though, but still manageable) to work on certain skills, be it at the job or the university in the pursuit of research. Nowadays, many such brilliant minds come together to start up in some industry and try to carve out a career in it, of course, to become the next Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos.
There are many opportunities in this age where young men and women can start and grow in a career. Take IT job; people can easily land a job in IT, learn new skills, and get themselves established in the IT industry. If they want to study, they always have the option to study here for a Master’s, do some research, or even go abroad for MS/Ph.D as this is the best time for one to get a Master’s and get settled down there eventually. If not studies or IT, they have tons of other opportunities like getting into the armed forces( short service commission to permanent commission), working for NGO/social cause, grouping together to start a startup, becoming a writer for social media, learning about the stock market or even get into some niche field, be it genetics, or cancer research!
I haven’t even listed the other government jobs like banking, police, etc. in the list. The opportunities one has in this age group outside the regular government job are endless. Yet, we see lakhs and lakhs of students studying for government job preparation, specifically for UPSC! Why?
This is where my concern about this obsession (yes, that is the right word here) starts! We all know the reason for this UPSC obsession. The social media is filled with videos and shorts of all-powerful IAS officers or Singham IPS officers, right? If not IAS/IPS, then we all admire our beloved Foreign minister Dr S.Jaishankar, and that stands as a motivation for the aspirants to become IFS officers someday (I also had that dream once upon a time). I won’t elaborate on the benefits of UPSC preparation as we are all aware of it.
But the concern which I have for this obsession is the way exams are held. As we know, the UPSC conducts exams once a year, and it’s a lengthy process. The aspirant has to clear Prelims first, then Mains, appear for an interview, and if he/she is fortunate enough to clear all the steps, then they get into the so-called elite club of ‘Babus‘. But to get into that club, the success rate is only 0.2%, which means only 1 in 500 aspirants can clear this exam. That also means the remaining 499 aspirants must start again for next year’s attempt. And this maths becomes complicated yearly because the number of aspirants is increasing each year, so the success rate will not be the same. Besides, cracking the exam depends on many factors, such as how difficult the exam pattern was that particular year, which category the aspirant belongs to, how much access he/she has to the quality study material/groups, etc.
So, I don’t understand why this selection process has been made so complicated. I know someone would reason that the selected ones have to run a big, complicated Indian bureaucracy, and hence, they have to get used to this incredible pressure and patience. UPSC is not just an exam. It is a game of extreme pressure and infinite patience. But this format comes at a dangerous cost because we see many aspirants who couldn’t clear the interview and had to start all over again for the next attempt. Why can’t their previous prelim and mains attempt be considered for the next attempt, which would at least make some things simpler?
Because aspirants have to start all over again with every failure, not only do they face extreme pressure from peers and family, but also they can’t stop their running age. The need to settle quickly becomes desperate with more failed attempts and growing age. Especially if the aspirant comes from a not so well to do family, that pressure to perform is toxic for his/her health and mind. In desperate situations, few aspirants take extreme decisions like suicide. In contrast, others find part-time jobs like teaching in a coaching centre or even working as a Swiggy/Zomato delivery person in extreme situations to meet ends. I appreciate those brave ones who don’t give up, but still, the question lurks in my mind why do they have to go through all this ordeal?
Just for a government job that only promises a lifelong, secure job with pension benefits, that’s it? Or is it a colonial mindset that has made us appreciate the secure, low risk taking job even though we might have all the right skills to become a good doctor or engineer? That’s why I wonder why IIT’ians or even doctors who have graduated from AIIMS spend years getting into Civil services, despite knowing that their degrees ensure a promised career as an engineer or doctor. Still, I don’t know why they would want to get into this rat race! Maybe, a few of them want to serve the country, but there are several ways to serve our country. By becoming Google CEO, Sundar Pichai has uplifted India’s image in front of the world. Had he prepared for UPSC, I am sure he would have been selected, but he would never be able to achieve the platform Google has given to him. Several examples prove that if we have the best education and skills ( be it engineer, doctor, etc.), then why not use that degree in the same field to achieve greater heights? Why change the career trajectory suddenly, and spend the precious 20’s years after cracking the civil services? It does not make sense to me!
Finally, I listened to some experts in this field, who are either working or have retired from civil services, and as per their view, the need for civil servants has been declining due to how the world has changed in the last 30 years. Due to automation and digitization, we see that the work of IRS officers has been digitized and automated. The traditional role of IAS as a collector ( British Raj mindset) no longer exists. And yet, the syllabus of the UPSC exam has not changed much. As per the experts, the UPSC syllabus creates facilitators or communicators in the respective field. But in today’s modern world, the system needs problem solvers and not mere facilitators. That’s why, due to a lack of expertise in bureaucracy ( who mostly read General Studies), the government has to collaborate with the private sector to complete the projects. No longer can government bureaucracy drive the system alone, which they did 30-40 years back under the rigid License-Raj system.
Hence, the bureaucracy needs experts and problem solvers. But on the other side, we see that aspirants in their 20’s age are those with no work experience. How can they become problem solvers when they have not worked on real-life problems? This cannot be taught via syllabus, and there is no alternative for experience. Only experienced professionals can become problem solvers and system changes. That’s why many experts have opined that UPSC should involve experienced professionals in their 30s or 40s by allowing them to get into government, either for a short or long duration. This is known as the ‘Revolving Door’, which is common in western countries like the USA, where industry professionals, academicians, and government bureaucrats keep rotating their jobs in all three, thereby sharing knowledge and gaining experience, which is exceptionally useful in their work. But in India, we see government, academics, and industry work in silos, and hence the system doesn’t undergo reform quickly due to a lack of knowledge sharing. This must change if we want the bureaucracy to become problem solvers and not just facilitators in the system.
That’s why, after giving the above thought, I decided not to take UPSC seriously unless some of the above concerns (debated and suggested by experts for years now) are addressed by the government.
Till then, I am more than happy to serve my country in my own way, be it by doing my work in the private sector diligently, paying taxes regularly, being a vigilant citizen, and continue writing and sharing my thoughts on such wonderful platforms like ‘Youth Ki Awaaz’ which would motivate some reader to do the same!
Thank you for reading this piece!