Attributes of a serious UPSC aspirant
Indian Administrative Service is one of the most reputed career options in India. Every year there are lakhs of students that appear for this exam but only a few hundred are selected. Despite such a low success rate people dedicate 5 to 6 years of their life to this exam.
Having said this, we also hear stories of IAS and IPS officers who quit the services and moved out to start their own business or work in a private firm. Why do they do this? what expectations did they have when they joined the services? and what are their compulsions?
The prime reason behind this is the difference between expectation and ground reality of this exam. Most of the aspirants prepare for this exam thinking only the perks. But with great perks comes
great responsibility. They are ready for the first part of it but not the responsibility part. Also with responsibility what comes is work pressure. An ideal IAS aspirant is the one that understands these aspects and has spirit to deal with these in a rational way.
Remember your training for being an IAS does not start from LBSNAA, it starts from the day you started preparing for this exam.
Let us see 7 attributes that an IAS aspirant must strive to inculcate in himself/herself.
- Willpower – given the rigorous nature of UPSC exams every UPSC aspirant will go through phases where they will feel that this exam is not for them or have self doubt. It is in these phases that willpower will play a major role to keep going forward. Don’t worry even toppers have faced this.
- Consistency – if there is one attribute that tops all other attributes then it is consistency. Unlike popular opinion UPSC exam is not tough, there have been instances where people from not so good academic background have also cleared this exam. Then what is it that counts? It is regularity or consistency as we say. Those who study regularly in a planned way. Not like aaj zyada padh liya aur phir 2-3 din padhe hi nahi.
- Discipline –Having a fixed schedule is essential for preparation. Note here schedule doesn’t mean timetable of what to study but it also includes when to sleep, when to wake up, when to have lunch, dinner and when to schedule calls with family and relatives and so on. Keep a fixed time for all these.
- Emotional intelligence – by this what I mean is an aspirant must be able to understand and manage their own emotions. This will help them in handling stressful situations and remaining calm under pressure.
- Knowledge and observant – he should have an in depth Knowledge of various subjects and also have the skill to observe what is happening around himself/herself and mentally take note of it. This will help him/her to develop analytical skills to deal with complex situations.
- Adaptability – A candidate not just needs to be adaptable to his physical surroundings but also have to keep his/her mind open to new ideas. An IAS officer has to deal with several unexpected events and also interact with people who have different mind-sets. So adaptability is very necessary.
- Leadership skills – he/she should be able to inspire his peers by his actions and act as a role model for them. As an aspirant this should reflect in the day to day lifestyle he/she follows. It should inspire his/her peers and juniors to look up to him as an ideal aspirant.
There are other attributes as well but these are the most important ones for an aspirant. These will help them in future to take better decisions as officers, better implement policies, better management skills and overall a better administrator which will be beneficial not just for him/her but for all affected by him.
Wish you the best!
Thank you
