When Colin Powell said, “A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work”, many people did agree with him. Human beings love to dream about their career, ambitions, and a lot more other things that they aspire to achieve in their lives.
Okay, so coming back to reality, we live in a society where we like to get things done instantly! Instant food, instant replies, food or grocery delivery in under 10 minutes, instant emails, and instant results. We all are guilty of instant gratification. But truth to be told, every good thing takes time and the best and the most valuable thing in life come from working hard to achieve them. An IAS officer Yashni Nagarajan is the leading example of that.
Yashni Nagarajan cracked the UPSC exam and bagged the All India Rank 57 in 2019. Union Public Service Commission or UPSC as it is popularly known is one of the most prestigious and difficult administrative service examinations in India. Lakhs of students prepare for this exam for years, before appearing for it from all over the country. But only a few aspirants clear the examination which is followed by a face-to-face interview that is equally famous for their high level of difficulty.
Yashni Nagarajan cleared her exam in her fourth attempt while working full-time and the reason behind her success was her excellent time management skills. What are the factors that contributed to making her journey successful? Let’s find out:
1. Education & Family Support Played a Crucial Role
Most people underestimate the quality of education in central government schools; there are students like Yashni Nagarajan who prove them wrong. She completed her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Naharlagun. She enrolled herself in the National Institute of Engineering, Yupia in 2014 and completed her B.Tech in EEE with flying colours.
Her father Thangavel Nagarajan is a retired state PWD engineer and her mother is a retired superintendent of the Itanagar branch at Gauhati High Court Registry. Both of them have been supported throughout her journey.
2. Worked Hard on Weekdays, Studied Harder on Weekends
Yashni believed that if you are working on weekdays, you will have to study on weekends. During her journey, Yashni used to study for 4 to 5 hours dedicatedly every day, while on weekends she used to study the whole day. Studying on weekends strengthens your preparation. And with the right time management skills, you can manage to take out 4-5 hours for studies every day.
3. Choose What You Excel At
Yashni cleared the UPSC exam on her fourth attempt. She failed in her first three attempts but took them as lessons of wisdom. She shares that in her initial attempt, she chose Geography as an optional subject under the influence of other people. However, she changed the subject later on when noticed that she excel in another subject.
Yashni says that you should choose a subject of your choice so that you can read it with full interest. You will read about it and try to gain in-depth knowledge only if you like the subject. An optional subject plays an important role in the UPSC exam as it helps to score better marks.
4. One Piece of Advice for Other Aspirants
One important piece of advice that Yashni gives to all UPSC aspirants is that Essay and Ethics are two subjects in which they can score the highest. Therefore, it’s very important to give importance to these subjects. She says that though it is difficult to prepare for UPSC while having a full-time job, it is beneficial too! Along with gaining experience, you also master time-management skills. She says, “You will feel less stressed even if you don’t qualify UPSC. And because you already have a job, you don’t worry much about your career. You can become an IAS or IPS officer with hard work and better time management.”
So, if you want to enhance your learning, prepare for a competitive exam, or want to pursue that management course that you have been eyeing for a couple of months- go for it. The story of Yashni Nagarajan is full of inspiration and testimony that hard work, dedication, and excellent time management skills can help you achieve your professional and personal goals.
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