The Signature Scare

The email signature of a well meaning friend in Bombay read thus:
'Plan a career within a life; not a life within a career'

It hit me like a billion pound sledgehammer. And I was forced into deep introspection.

It has certainly taken longer than I had imagined, for the Civil Services dream to fructify.

Have my friends and classmates stolen a march over me in life?
Is my friend pointing this out to me rather politely??

What are the alternatives that I could have pursued?
A corporate career that involves spending at least 12 hours in office, another 3 hours stuck in the traffic, an unhappy and whining wife who complains about lack of time spent together, non-existent social life, perpetual overworked state, constant anxiety about job-loss and promotions?

For a couple of days I was a little disoriented...

But then I recouped...

In the last several months that I have been jobless and preparing for the exams how much lead have my class mates stolen over me?

A lot of them have got married.
Being single is a happy situation, that doesn’t really bother me at all

A few have become dads/moms.
Again...not something I’m really envious of

Most have booked a flat and bought a car.
And when I realise that these very acts in some ways have tied them down financially with hefty loans and daunting EMIs; I feel a lot better with just my rented place and Bajaj Discover.

A career in the civil services is far superior to anything else on offer in India.
In the long run, I reckon I’m going to be better off with a satisfying career and the fringe benefits that will accrue

An ASSOCHAM Survey findings of July 2007 is very re-assuring

In the survey titled ‘Have Civil Services Lost their Charm with Advancement in Liberalisation’, 80 per cent of the 300 young executives from the corporate sector said that the IAS, IFS, and IPS drew the best talent contrary to impressions that flight of talent had shifted towards private sector with advancing liberalisation.

The assertion that civil services is losing its sheen is totally out of place and disparaging as every aspirant cannot withstand the rigours of the layers of civil service examination, said ASSOCHAM president, Venugopal N. Dhoot.

No, it’s not as bad as my friend’s signature line makes it out to be.
Even if it takes a few extra months, it’s still very much worth it.