look news india
Lakhs of youth across the country dream that after obtaining engineering or other professional degrees, they should prepare for the country’s most prestigious civil services examination i.e. UPSC and serve the country by becoming an IAS or IPS officer. But behind this golden dream there is a hidden and painful truth which many youth face during this difficult journey. Recently, a painful message of a B.Tech graduate youth is becoming increasingly viral on social media and various digital platforms, which has shocked all the youth of the country and their parents. Keeping his identity secret, this young man has shared his story of how he had willingly given up a good engineering job and had chosen the difficult path of preparing for UPSC, but due to continuous failure for many years and lack of resources, today his life has come to such a point that he feels completely ruined and ‘finished’. This poignant story is not just about a single person, but it has become the plight of thousands of youth who spend their precious years and energy in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, Rajendra Nagar or other coaching hubs of the country, but in the end they get nothing but disappointment.
Sharing his story, the B.Tech graduate said that when he completed college, he had a good job offer in hand, which he turned down in pursuit of bigger dreams for the future. He was fully confident that on the basis of his intellectual ability and hard work, he would crack the UPSC exam in the first or second attempt itself. But the level of Civil Services Examination and the tough competition between the lakhs of candidates appearing for it is so fierce that mere desire does not lead to success. The first attempt succeeded, then the second came, and within no time many years of life passed. Every year the change in exam pattern, failure in mains and interview stages shattered his confidence from within. The friends who continued working after B.Tech are now well ahead in their lives financially and are supporting their families, while this young man, burdened with books, has reached the age where he has neither any bank balance nor any certainty about his future. This period proves to be very fatal for the mental health of any youth, where depression and despair accompany every moment.
When the economic crisis deepens in the life of any person, his way of life and hopes gradually start dying. This young man has made a very painful revelation in his post that the current situation has become such that he has become dependent on money. Living in Delhi or other big cities, renting a room, buying expensive books, joining test series and meeting daily expenses are possible only with the limited money sent by the family or one’s own savings. When the savings are completely exhausted and the money from home is stopped or limited, then the struggle of a youth becomes worse than hell. There is a shortage of food and drink and one has to lend a helping hand to others even for small needs. It is a bitter truth of the society that as long as you are successful, everyone stands with you, but as soon as you fail and go through financial crisis, relationships and friends also gradually start distancing themselves. This situation of this youth is a living example of how putting one’s entire youth and career at stake on just one exam without any backup plan can prove to be a huge risk.
The kind of mental pressure that students face while preparing for UPSC or other high level competitive examinations can only be estimated by those who have gone through this phase. The B.Tech graduate wrote, “I feel like I’m finished…”, which clearly sums up the severe depression and anxiety going on within him. After continuous failure, when the burden of expectations of society and family increases on their shoulders, many youth lose mental balance or become victims of excessive stress. The sad news coming from educational centers like Kota and Delhi in recent years testifies that this pressure of failure even takes the lives of the youth. Experts believe that examination is not the end of life, rather it is just an option in career. If a youth uses his energy and time properly, he can create a distinct identity for himself in the corporate sector or other fields. But due to stubbornness and to save their face in the society, the youth remain stuck in this quagmire for years, which not only ruins their career but also completely destroys their mental and physical health.
After being deprived of money and feeling completely broken, this young man has openly sought advice from people on social media as to what he should do next. He has asked whether after a B.Tech degree and a gap of so many years, he can get entry again in any IT company or other corporate sector or whether his entire professional career is over forever. The surprising thing is that after this post there has been a flood of reactions on the internet. Thousands of people have sympathized with his pain and consoled him. Many senior professionals and software engineers have come forward and advised him not to lose courage and start looking for a job again by updating his resume and working on his skills. People explained to him that there is still a lot of life left and failure is just an experience, not the end. This viral post is a huge eye-opening lesson for all those youth of the country who jump into the blind race of civil services without any plan B.