CAREERS TO BE PURSUED ALONG WITH CSE

Preparing for Civil Services Exam is one of the most enriching journeys that anyone can embark on. A person who has dived into this will never be the same again. The learning process and knowledge gained is bound to transform the person to become a thinker, an analyst, in fact a scholar who has insight into all the aspects of life. This journey is so unique that at the end of it, knowledge gained not only influences the intellectual capacity of an aspirant positively but also makes the aspirant stand apart from the crowd. When you prepare for the civil services examination, you get the ability to absorb knowledge in a very different way and you will be able to analyze issues from multiple dimensions.

As an IAS aspirant you should strategize your career journey to pursue other exams and career as well which can be prepared simultaneously along with the IAS preparation. Pursuing other exams with IAS preparation is a wise career strategy, because:

IAS as career is Plan A, the other exams can be Plan B, C, D, E which would act as a cushion to settle early
Preparing for other exams shall be making most out of the time and money spent on the IAS preparation
An early settlement shall boost the confidence of the aspirant morally and financially and the candidate can still appear for the IAS exam after a securing a position elsewhere

Following are the various career options available to the IAS aspirants which the aspirants should aim for along with IAS preparation.

State Civil Services Exam:

One can apply for State Civil Services Exams (State PCS) and can become a civil servant in a State. One doesn’t need to have a domicile for applying for a particular State and can appear for as many State PCS exams as one wants. However, one needs to qualify that State language exam. Hindi speaking aspirants can in fact appear for nine State PCS exams.

Other Government Jobs:

You can apply for other government jobs like Combined Graduate Level (CGL) conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC),as Probationary Officer (PO) in banking sector, as a teacher by qualifying Teaching Eligibility Test (TET). You can also become a lecturer in a College, where you can teach undergraduates.

Other government exams you can appear for and clear easily are the UPSC Employee Provident Fund Examination (EPFO), Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), Combined Defence Services (CDS), RBI Grade B, Intelligence Bureau, Railways.

Other exams which are conducted by UPSC after graduation in various streams are:

Engineering Services Exam (IES)-Qualification: Engineering Graduate

Indian Forest Service’s Exam (IFOS)–Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with any one subject – Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, and Zoology or a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or Forestry or Engineering of a recognized university or equivalent.

Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service Examination (IES/ISS) –

Qualification: Post-Graduate degree in Economics/Applied Economics/Business Economics/Econometrics from a University incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other Educational Institutes established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as University u/s 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or a Foreign University approved by the Central Govt. from time to time.
A candidate appearing for Indian Statistical Service should possess a Bachelor’s Degree with Statistics/Mathematical Statistics/Applied Statistics as one of the subjects or a Master’s degree in Statistics/Mathematical Statistics/Applied Statistics.

Assistant Provident Fund Commissioners:

Qualification: Any Graduate

Combined Medical Services Examination (CMSE):

Qualification: The candidate should have passed all the written and practical parts of MBBS Examination. The candidates who are appearing in the final year MBBS Examination can also apply provided they have no backlogs.

Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination:

Qualification: The qualifications vary for different posts. For Geologists Grade ‘A’, the candidate should have a Master’s degree in Geological Science or Geology or Applied Geology or Geo exploration or Marine Geology.

For Geophysicists Grade A- The candidates should obtain M.Sc in either Physics or applied Physics or M.Sc (Geophysics) or Integrated (M.Sc).

For Junior Hydro geologists (Scientist B), Group A – Master’s degree in Geology or applied Geology or Marine Geology.

Candidates who fail to clear the interview stage can get recruited for top posts in the Public Sector Units (PSUs). To quote an example the newly constituted body, International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSC Authority) has invited applications from those applicants who had reached the final stage of CSE exam but could not be in the final merit. Similarly, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) have shown interest in recruiting people who have appeared for the UPSC interview.

You can even join the private sector/ corporate sector for a job.

Becoming a faculty/teacher in the field of UPSC preparation industry is also a very rewarding career for people.

Higher Studies: The syllabus of UPSC is elaborative and vast enough which consciously or unconsciously prepares the aspirant with vast knowledge in many a subjects. Thus the aspirants may consider the option of further studies in the subject area of their interest and passion which would only strengthen their knowledge and qualification on the one hand and shall open further new career options for them in academics both in India and abroad. For example a post graduation in History, English, Sociology, Economics, International Relations, Public Administration, Geography, etc., shall only complement their career options and also supplement their IAS/UPSC preparation. Higher studies option along with the IAS preparation shall save upon their valuable time and shall provide them a cushion to fall back so as to continue to achieve their career ambitions.

Not getting selected in any competitive exam is not equivalent to failing. In any competition there is a process of selection and not rejection. Life without setbacks will be insipid and tasteless.

After having prepared for this exam, there are multiple options available to an aspirant to pursue in addition to appearing for CSE. Since the syllabus of various other exams is a subset of UPSC syllabus, you can appear for other government exams and can even secure your career elsewhere and still keep your IAS mission intact to secure your dream career.

Aspirants can connect with Classic IAS Academy for a more elaborate discussion so as to plan their career option meticulously which would guide them to strategize well for their IAS/Civil Services Exams mission.

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