Story of Kriti (Software Engineer)
Kriti followed the footsteps of her father to become an engineer. She was a bright electronics engineering student and got a job as soon as she finished her studies, in a reputed software firm. Although it was a very well paid job, she simply felt out of place. She tried to ignore her feelings but soon enough gave in to them. She wanted to do more than software programming. Inspired by her neighbour who was the Director General of Police, she knew she had to do something to be a more integral part of the country's core functioning system. This is where her journey of UPSC started.
Kriti prepared for UPSC alongside her job for a year and sat for the exam without the knowledge of her parents. Unfortunately, she did not make it and her parents eventually got to know about her wishes. They were shocked to know that their daughter wanted to change her career simply because she “felt out of place”. However, that did not deter her. She faced all the criticism and opposition silently with the determination to work harder and achieve her goal. Having taken the exam once, Kriti knew she could do it. Preparing alongside her job, it took her two years to be confident with her preparation. She appeared for the exam and passed with flying colours. When asked what she thought was the one critical factor all aspirants must focus on, Kriti replied, “One must work in a loop. Sorry for my IT lingo, but that's how I can explain it the best. Revise -> Practice -> Analyse -> Repeat. This loop must go on. When you're learning and gaining knowledge, it's very important to practice each topic or chapter alongside, and not wait for the subject or book to be over. The next thing is to analyse how you've done, to understand the areas where you need to improve. Because if you don't improve, there's no point in practising.
In my time, there were hardly any resources that could help me do this. I had to finish a vast syllabus before I could pick up some practice papers or test series because they cover a wide variety of topics in one go. I'm so happy to see the SprintUPSC portal that can help students practice as and when they wish, as much as they wish; no need to finish vast topics or books, and what wonderful analysis they serve you on a platter. What more could one want!”