How much time to give to government Job Preparation ?

For those who have not done well in prelims despite putting much effort:

1. This is just an exam, not life. Do not give more importance to UPSC or IAS than your life.
2. Take a break. And spend some time with your family how ever bitter you may feel from inside.
3. Ponder why you failed to score.
4. Remember to qualify prelims you need skill and luck. Some 100 odd questions can not judge your ability.
5. Prepare for Mains this year as if you are going to write this year mains. This will help you next year both in mains and prelims

Those who have given 2–3 prelims, yet they have not done well yesterday:

1. Please have a back up option. Some alternative career choice. Or higher study or anything. This exam is extremely unpredictable.
2. If you join a job still you can give UPSC. With a job security and lesser family pressure you can do in fact well.

Those who are new and planning to join the preparation ocean:

1. Take a time frame how many years you can give for this
2. What's your alternative plan if not upsc? Choose few since UPSC has very high failing rates.
3. Ensure that you do not create extra pressure on parents in terms of money and all.
4. If you are in college first year or second year, then do not start reading The Hindu. It does not help. Instead participate in quizzing, debate, and other events in college.
5. For 11th and 12th student focus on your 12th and college first.
6. Finally never ever consider IAS Or IPS as life. It's a job only, little glorified one though :) :)

-Abinash Mishra, IAS

Watch here : How much time to invest in preparing for government job ?

When comparing the earnings of senior government officials with those in top corporate roles, it becomes evident that public sector salaries are significantly lower.

 When comparing the earnings of senior government officials with those in top corporate roles, it becomes evident that public sector salaries are significantly lower.

For instance, the highest salary attainable by IAS, IPS, IRS, or IFS officers—excluding the cabinet secretary—is the Apex Scale, with a base salary of ₹2,25,000, amounting to around ₹3,50,000 per month. Along with their salary, these officials receive government-provided vehicles for official use and high-quality housing. As a result, the total compensation for senior government officers is estimated to be around ₹60 lakh per annum.

In contrast, private sector executives earn far more. As of December 2024, the highest-paid CEOs in India included:

• Sunil Nayyar – Sony India (₹7.62 crore)
• Pradeep Bakshi – Voltas India (₹7.2 crore)
• Sudhir Singh – Coforge (₹105.1 Cr)
• Rajeev Jain – Bajaj Finance (₹101 Cr)
• Nithin Kamath – Zerodha (₹72 crore)

Clearly, the compensation for top corporate executives far exceeds that of senior government officers. However, while only a handful of professionals reach CEO-level positions in the private sector, almost all Class-I officers in the central government eventually progress to Apex Scale roles. There are approximately 1,000 such positions in the government, and most officers retire at or near this level.

Government jobs offer particularly strong financial security at lower levels. A driver in a government department may start with a salary of around ₹30,000 per month, with added benefits like housing, travel allowances, LTC, medical coverage, and child benefits. With annual increments of at least 3%, experienced drivers can earn close to ₹1,00,000 per month. Similarly, senior stenographers may also reach a six-figure monthly salary before retirement.

A major advantage of government employment is the pension system, which ensures lifelong financial support for the employee and their spouse, a benefit that private-sector employees typically do not receive.

The wage gap between government and private sector roles is significant. The salary ratio between the highest-ranking IAS officer and the lowest-ranked government employee (such as a peon or constable) is around 4:1. In contrast, private companies exhibit extreme disparities—Wipro’s CEO, for instance, earns approximately 1,702 times more than the company’s lowest-paid worker.

Overall, while corporate salaries can be exceptionally high at the top, government salaries provide better financial stability across various levels. This is why many senior Class-I officers leave public service for more lucrative corporate opportunities, whereas lower-level government employees rarely switch careers, as private-sector jobs rarely offer comparable salaries or benefits.

So the bottom line is if you are doing low paying jobs in private sector such as driver, peon, helper then please try to prepare and find such jobs in government or try to go to foreign such as Dubai, Saudi for these jobs if you can live far from home 

Read this : This Might Hurt but its better that you Know

This reminds me of a Commissioner of Customs & Central Excise department, who used to be extremely honest.

This example pertains to an IRS officer, but equally valid for IAS/IPS officers as well.

He was so honest that even as a Commissioner, he would not use his government vehicle for any personal work.

He used to fetch vegetables and other groceries by riding his own old scooter.

In short, he was an epitome of honesty.

However, he was not willing to take any responsibility.

I remember a specific case when he was the Commissioner of Customs, and Annual General Transfer (AGT) Order was to be issued.

His junior had prepared the list on the direction of the Chief Commissioner (who had the reputation of being extremely corrupt) and it contained the names of many corrupt officers for important assignments even against the policy.

Hence, the association of officers met him and asked him to post the offices according to merit and integrity, rather than posting corrupt officers in important charges.

He told them very bluntly that he won’t be able to do anything because these people were the ‘men’ of Chief Commissioner.

And finally the order was issued with his approval (in the file) according to the wishes of the Chief Commissioner and many corrupt officers got sensitive postings.

He did not have the guts to even write dissent notes or reject the names suggested by the Chief Commissioner.

In my opinion, his honesty was nothing but a shield of cowardice.

These officers are the most useless officers of the government.

However, this story is not complete unless I mention you the story of his successor Commissioner, who was not as copybook honest, but was quite professional.

The same Chief Commissioner (CC) tried to play the same trick with him and asked him to post many corrupt officers in the important charges.

The new Commissioner told him clearly that he can’t accept such request verbally. He told the CC to recommend the names in writing.

The CC then recommended the names of officers in writing grudgingly.

When the recommendation was received by the Commissioner he wrote: “Considered the recommendation of CC. REJECTED.”

This became the talk of the town (department) and the CC never dared to mess with this Commissioner.

-Awdhesh Singh

Read more here : Don't Abandon Your Dreams

IIT takes only very intelligent People ?

 This is a myth.

The IIT JEE (the exam to get into an IIT) tests for 4 things broadly, and in order of importance they are:

1. Hard Work
2. Dealing with Stress and Rigour
3. Numeric Aptitude
4. Scientific Aptitude

1 and 2 are more emotional parameters (or emotional intelligence) and do not indicate IQ, which is the widely assumed definition of intelligence (I will use intelligence to refer to IQ henceforth). 3 and 4 only contribute to IQ.

As a result, you cannot clear the JEE without the first two. You can clear the JEE with an average amount of the last two - while having 3 and 4 only are not enough to clear the JEE. Therefore you have a combination of something that is not intelligence and something that is partially intelligence to get into IIT.

Due to the hype of the JEE and the lopsided focus on just these 4 things, parents and students begin to believe that the JEE is an end all and will assure lifelong success. There are multiple other parameters like people skills, communication, leadership etc. that are needed to succeed and the JEE just tests a few. This usually results in unfair self expectation and an unreasonable assessment of self.

Overall, someone who has cleared the JEE is usually very hard working, composed and reasonably intelligent.

-Aviral Bhatnagar

Clearing JEE is the one and only path to success ?

Average Student ?

Some of the bitter truths about SSC CGL and most other govt. jobs are....

 Some of the bitter truths about SSC CGL and most other govt. jobs are - unreasonable expectations of candidates which motivates them for preparation but tears apart soon after they join office.

What are these expectations and why are they unreasonable. Let us understand.

• Unreasonable expectations: There is severe competition among candidates to clear SSC CGL. Every year 5–10 lakh candidates apply for 2–8 thousand posts. Most candidates spend more than a year to clear these exams. Point is, clearing these exams is no less than a victory in war (at least this is what candidates feel). Those who clear it are treated like hero in locality, in their school, by their juniors. Candidates feel they are class apart just because they have cleared an exam. Truth is- from government perspective you have cleared just another mediocre level post exam and would be given a good share of responsibilities in the department but generally a lesser share of incentives.
• What was promised is given to you: Nobody from government’s side promised stress less life, no work and respect in equivalence to Bharat ratna awardee to any candidate once they clear any such exam. Candidates feel that they should get monthly salary without having to go to office, 2–3 servants and nobody should dare to say a word to them because they are warriors and have won in life’s race. Reality is- they were promised monthly salary, a house, medical facility and pension which is delivered to you (although it may not match your expectations). In exchange you promised regular work (field or office) any where in India and discharge of your duties as expected from you (although it may not match the expectations of citizens). So, what was promised is given to you.

Image source: Google

• Soon you find that it is just a regular job like any other job in civil world which involves stress, deadlines, scolding from seniors, leave problems, respect below expectations, powerless in real terms, frequent transfers, remote locations, a regular life etc. Many candidates who worked really hard and for many years for such jobs soon start to dislike them and wish to change their job.
• Bottom line is- be practical in life and expect practical things.

-Kaushal Kumar

It is easy to succeed

Don’t abandon your dreams

I am a 26 year old; working in HPCL, a Maharatna PSU since last 3 years. My in-hand salary is approx. Rs 70,000 per month and I get good perks & allowances in addition to this salary. but, Am I happy? I would have to explain a few things and try to derive an answer to this question out of it.

I am from a lower middle class family. I wanted to clear UPSC CSE but somehow, ended up doing Engineering in Mechanical stream from a private college in Chhattisgarh (graduated in 2015) and as it happens in most of these colleges; I was left unemployed with just a degree in my hand. I wanted to prepare for UPSC with Mechanical Engg as my optional, so I started preparing for GATE, ESE. My plan was to get a Job first and then keep preparing for CSE. I failed to clear ESE but got good rank in GATE and secured a job in HPCL.

My first posting was in Purnea Bihar as a PMUY Officer. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) was a government scheme for providing free LPG connection to 8 crore BPL families. My job was to oversee its implementation. I was hoping to continue my preparations for CSE but damn! I was so wrong. it was no regular government job; It was an office job, field job, clerical job, customer support service job & ‘anything your boss needs you to do’ job. There was so much work pressure that I hardly even touched books for months. I thought maybe this rush is temporary and It will be over soon. Then one of my seniors resigns and they assign me at his place, which is my current designation - LPG sales officer - Purnea LPG Sales Area (consisting 5 districts - Araria, Katihar, Kishanganj, Madhepura & Purnea). Sales is one of the most demanding positions in HPCL and i had to make a good reputation as a new officer, so I gave my everything to the job. I worked overtime, tried to learn new things related to my job, did field visits and everything to get good at my job. I had to compromise with my hobbies (watching movies/series/anime) as I never had enough free time and I completely abandoned my CSE preparations. At later stage, I even tried a few times to start my preparations again but eventually got tired of it and gave in to the work pressure.

Having said all that, my job is still among the highest paid government jobs with best perks and allowances. It is a respectable job and I have made good social contacts via this job too. I was able to buy my dream bike within 6 month of joining and bought my car after 18 months in the job. I flaunt the latest iPhone and wear branded clothes. I am able to take care of my family and don’t have to worry about budget when I eat in any restaurant. There was a time when I had to walk to save bus fare but now I drive my car just to buy groceries.

I really worked hard to get here and i still work hard to fulfill my responsibilities without fail. I wanted to serve my nation by joining Indian army and even attended 3 SSB interviews but got rejected. But, while working here too, I found out that I may be able to help people and do some good for the nation. when I joined here, the LPG penetration was below 15% in my area and currently It is above 70%. More than 6 lakh consumers received LPG connections in my Sales area during last 3 years from HPCL. My work was also recognized at the Highest level and I got awarded for releasing highest number of PMUY connection by none other than Hon. Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas - Shri Dharmendra Pradhan (pic attached).

I do believe now that you don’t have to be in Army or be an IAS officer to serve the nation. Any person whether a postman, a banker, a policeman or even a businessman; if he is doing his duties with complete honesty, he is serving the nation.

Even after all these, I can’t really say that I am happy. There is an old saying about the salary of Government officers - “More than you need, less than you want”. But, it is not about money, status or job satisfaction. I may be satisfied but I am not Happy, I just feel hollow inside because I’ve deserted my dream of clearing CSE. But, I know i am doing better than most of my colleagues and I am optimistic; I still have few good years left and I hope to find a way to restart my preparations.

To all the dreamers - “Don’t abandon your dreams”

-Anurag Kumar

Clerk to IIM ? Possible ?

How Many Years to Invest for Government Job Preparation ?

Count your blessings || Gratitude

 

Government Job Perks

I am currently working in Food Corporation of India which is a CPSE fully owned by the Government of India.

 I am currently working in Food Corporation of India which is a CPSE fully owned by the Government of India. Here are some of the perks that I think makes this organisation amazingly good for the employees welfare -

• Working Hours - In an era where CEOs talking of 70 hours of work a week and Infact there are organisations where 10–11 hours a day is the new normal, we get to work for 7.5 hours a day after which you can pursue your hobby or spend time with the family and friends.
• Leaves - We get 17 Gazetted Holidays, 2 RH, 20HPL/10 Medical, 8 Casual Leave and 30 Earned Leave. Also if worked on a holiday we get compensatory leave which needs to be redeemed within 3 months. Amongst these leaves, EL and HPL accumulate every year and ELs are also encashable during the service and at the time of retirement (maximum 300).
• Medical facility - We get full coverage of treatment expenses of self and dependent family members for taking medical treatment from non-empanelled hospitals at CGHS rates. But if getting treatment from empanelled hospitals then there is full reimbursement of expenses as well as facility of cashless treatment and payments afterwards.
• Salary on Time - We get timely salary in between 25 to 31st of the month and it never crossed the deadline of 31st even for once. This is one of the best things because in many state government jobs salary gets accrued for months which makes it difficult for the employees to even pay for basic needs without taking loans.

There are many cons as well. That's an story for another day.

-Vishal Kumar Dubey

Worked hard yet failed

How many years to prepare for Government Exams ?

 

What to do if not selected in Government Job after years of Preparation ?

Government Jobs have become a talk of the town and ..............

 Government Jobs have become a talk of the town and it is growing day by day. For a lower middle class family it is the only way out to come out of that poverty. For some, social prestige is of utmost importance.

Let's first talk about the PROS -

• Job security - No bloody job can match the level of job security that you get in a government job. Even in a situation like Covid-19 which brought down countries across the world to its knees, the government employees and pensioners were getting their salary (except DA freeze) more or less on time. Post-Covid phase saw a manifold increase in craze for government and allied sector jobs. When 90% of the tech sector jobs are getting threatened by ChatGPT & AI, Government sector employees are chilled with no worries of loosing their job or getting replaced by a new invention im the market.
• Work Pressure - It surely can't be generalised because of the multiple factors involved. But majority of the civilian jobs (Desk jobs) are quite easy going in nature and you don't need to keep reeling under pressure much. Just finish your job and enjoy your time with family and friends without worries.
• Salary and Facilities - Once you get into a job, the foremost thing you desire is financial stability in life to increase the living standards. Surely government jobs are highly under-paid but at the same time it is far better than majority of the private sector jobs. You get salary on time. Combined with that you get facility of NPS which is to ensure a comfortable post-retirement life. You and your dependents get medical cover under the CGHS scheme. Apart from that there is Diwali Bonus, regular Increment in DA to compensate for inflation, Children Education Allowance, LTC, etc.

Cons -

• GROWTH - Maximum 3 promotions are possible in government jobs. Most of the government sector jobs don't have good promotional avenues. You will face heavy stagnation.
• INCREMENTS - There is a mere 3% increment in basic pay each year. With time expenses will increase but salary wouldn't grow proportionately. That will surely make you struggle to save.
• MONOTONY - You will keep doing the same job every day and 12 months in majority of the jobs.

-Vishal Kumar Dubey

{Note : Every decade or so central government employee will receive central pay commision in which their inhand effective salary will be increased by 18-22% apart from your 3% yearly increments. The bank employees in India have their own bipartite settlement every 5 years. So the salary growth is not bad. }

How many years to Prepare for Government Jobs

Life became SO MUCH SIMPLER the day I realized that...

1. A calm mind can handle any situation
2. We are all bad in someone's story. You cannot please everyone
3. If you cannot decide, then the answer is NO
4. Don't care about society's advice or judgement. Most of them have no idea about what they are saying or doing
5. Discipline is more important than talent

You need to be your own biggest supporter.

-Rohan Jain

Why are we poor and others are rich ?

Ernest Hemingway stated: "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know"

 This famous quotation by Hemingway illustrates two types of common fallacies that lead most of us to the wrong conclusion.

1. Fallacy of Generalization

The fallacy of generalization is a logical fallacy that occurs when a claim is made based on insufficient evidence.

• It is well-known that Ernest Hemingway was a very intelligent man, as evidenced by winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
• It is also well known that towards the end of his life, he was so unhappy, and finally, he committed suicide.

The fallacy he committed through his quote is that he generalised his personal experience as universal truth.

2. Fallacy of Causation

It is quite common for people to connect an outcome with the wrong cause. It is well known in science that correlation is not causation.

Most people are unhappy as they fail to achieve what they think they should in life. However, the unhappiness of a person may be due to different reasons like poverty, physical disability, broken relationships or emotional intelligence. You can also feel miserable if you lack empathy and fail to develop deep relationships with your family and friends.

Some intelligent people mistreat others like a speck of dirt and feel entitled to everything good in the world. No one wishes to be mistreated by a friend or family. As a result, people avoid them, and they are left alone and suffer pain. However, instead of blaming themselves, they blame their superior intelligence for their suffering.

How arrogant of them?

What is the Truth?

The truth can only be found by critical thinking, which means relying on the empirical evidence and scientific study rather than on anecdotal evidence.

However intelligent or accomplished a person may be, his knowledge outside his domain is just ordinary.

Ernest Hemingway was a fiction writer, and he had no expertise on the issue of happiness and living.

Hence, we must disregard his personal opinion and look for the scientific evidence on this topic to know the truth.

In a study conducted by Ati et, all (Reference provided), it was found that

• Happiness is significantly associated with IQ.
• Those in the lowest IQ range (70-99) reported the lowest levels of happiness compared with the highest IQ group (120-129).

The study concluded that those with lower IQ are less happy than those with higher IQ. 

---

So, the good news is that dumb people are not happier, and you don’t have to be unhappy if you are intelligent.

If you are feeling unhappy in life, instead of blaming your intelligence for unhappiness, use you intelligence to find the real reasons for your suffering and work on them to achieve happiness.

That is the true sign of an intelligent person. Isn’t it?

Reference: Ali A, Ambler G, Strydom A, Rai D, Cooper C, McManus S, Weich S, Meltzer H, Dein S, Hassiotis A. The relationship between happiness and intelligent quotient: the contribution of socio-economic and clinical factors. Psychol Med. 2013 Jun;43(6):1303-12. doi: 10.1017/S0033291712002139. Epub 2012 Sep 24. PMID: 22998852.

Source of picture: Google Images

-Awdhesh Singh, IRS-IIT

Footnotes

[1] 

The relationship between happiness and intelligent quotient: the contribution of socio-economic and clinical factors - PubMed

Unknown Things About Me

 

1. I was bullied when I was a kid. I was living in Bareilly back then, and was around 10 years old, when I became the target of a bully who lived in my colony. He and his gang of 5–6 other kids used to pull my hair and hit me on the head in the school bus. They ensured I had no friends in my childhood days, and made my life miserable for more than a year. It probably worked out well for me in the end, because I started devoting my time to studies as a kid instead of playing.
2. When I was 13 years old, I was diagnosed with severe dengue and jaundice at the same time. I was hospitalized on and off over a period of 6 months, during which I had blood tests taken twice a day. I was fed intravenously, and was on the verge of a coma. I used to initially shout in pain when the needles pierced my arm, but slowly became immune to the pain. This incident, along with the bullying incident, defined my childhood to a large extent, and made me strong and focused.
3. I have a Masters in Management degree from EBS Business School, Germany also, which I got when I went there on a dual degree exchange from IIM Ahmedabad. Very few people know about this since I don’t mention this degree anywhere on my resume in India as it is not very relevant here.
4. I am addicted to coffee. I need coffee in the morning to start my day. I feel uneasy and irritated if I don’t have my coffee on time in the morning.
5. I am not always as sorted as people think I am. I have my weak moments as well. There are times when I feel stressed out because things don’t go according to plan. There are moments when I feel lost and can’t decide what to do. What keeps me going is that I always try to look at the bigger picture and keep pushing myself towards my goals.

-Rohan Jain

UPSC CSE vs 30 LPA Job

 You must first understand that civil services is not a job, but an experience.

What you get in civil services in India, you can’t get anywhere else, even in government services in other countries.

For instance, US President Donald Trump dismissed 4 appointeeas within 24 hours of taking charge and will dismiss nearly 1,000 Biden appointees who are not aligned with the goal of 'Making America Great Again'. 

In India, even the Prime Minister can’t dismiss a civil servant arbitrarily.

There is no way you can compare the private sector jobs with the civil services because in corporate, there is no job security, and you can be dismissed at any time in corporate if you don’t please your bosses.

The reasons for preferring civil services over private sector jobs are as follows.

• The President of India appoints you, and only he can dismiss you if you commit a criminal act or violate conduct rules. The dismissal has to follow a laid down procedure and is subject to judicial review and scrutiny of courts.
• If you have sufficient numbers in Parliament, you can appoint any person as the Prime Minister of India (like Dr Manmohan Singh). However, even the PM can’t make anyone an IAS, IPS or other civil services officer.
• The civil servants in India are appointed by UPSC, a constitutional body, and their jobs, promotions, perks, increments, and pensions are all protected by law.
• As a civil servant, you exercise the power the Parliament and legislature conferred to you according to your best judgment. Ministers can transfer you, but no non-civil-servant can ever exercise your powers.
• You directly contribute to the country's development, not working for any private individual or firm.
• You get decent pay and often the best perks, like a vehicle, bungalow or a good apartment, from day one in the government.
• You enjoy great power and get the best recognition in the society.

However, it is important to know that it is very difficult to get selected in the civil services examination.

• There are fewer than a thousand seats, while a million brilliant candidates apply.
• Hence, your chances of rejection are 99.9 %.
• Most UPSC aspirants have to spend 2–5 years preparing before being selected.

You must risk leaving the job only if you are willing to work hard for several years and have the confidence to get into the top 0.1%.

My advice is that you must try to prepare for the civil services examination while doing the job and quit the job only when you are reasonably close to the cut-off marks in your category.

You must also choose your service preferences wisely after understanding the pros and cons of every service and matching them with your aptitude.

If you believe that you will like the job of a civil servant, it is always a great career for any Indian youth.

-Awdhesh Singh

Danger of your.....

Source of picture: Google Images

Footnotes

[1] 

You are fired! Donald Trump purges over 1000 Joe Biden appointees; here are some notable names in the list