Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' somewhat reflects my academic journey.
I have been a competitive student since school days. Not just exams but co-curricular activities like NTSE, NCC gave me chance to prove my mettle. I exceled during undergrad years as well, maintaining Distinction class while juggling with cultural and social service activities in the college. I also landed a coveted job in a core engineering MNC through campus placements.
Later on, the calling for doing something different took me into Civil Services (UPSC) preparations. I was hoping to join the Government and contribute to the socio-economic transformation. So I left my MNC job, prepared full time for the exam and cracked the Prelims stage twice- in 2017 and 2018. I wrote the October 2018 Mains with full force.
But I could not get through the Mains round. Despite my efforts, the goal was not reachable. It was a rude shock, as the career graph had never dipped so much. It was a difficult phase of my life. I wanted to make a call- whether to continue with UPSC preparations (where I had already invested 3 years of life) or to start something new.
I realized that success is not only in winning but also in knowing when to quit. I decided to take back the control of my career. Management education was a clear choice, given my skills and interests. As I had already missed CAT 2018, I started preparing for XAT 2019. With the rigorous study of 2 months, I secured around 93 percentile. And all this has paid off, as got into TAPMI in the first merit list.
This challenging phase has taught me about failure and comeback, planning and adaption, hard work and hope. I am a different person today. I wish to keep growing and contributing, but indeed 'my way'. :)
#ABGLPWooMe #TAPMI #WooMe #comeback