The months of June and July are significant in view of the declaration of various examination results. It is the time for students and their parents to take decisions about their future career path. Few of the students must have been overjoyed with their success due to their anticipated results whereas many of them might have faced the disappointment with their unexpected results. Success is a subjective term as somebody with 95% marks may feel dejected whereas another one with 35% marks in the same may also feel satisfied with his performance, as the factor of anticipation decides the level of satisfaction level. If you have not attained the results as per your anticipation, one must feel bad and must take this opportunity to introspect where he went wrong, so that he can rectify oneself to emerge victorious in the upcoming challenges in professional life.

Introspect –

The results of tenth or twelfth standard are not the indicators for your success in future life. There are hundreds of examples in the public life where these successful personalities failed or performed poorly in their academic performances and still emerged as victorious in various fields of professional life. To be successful in these battles of professional life, one has to capitalise over the strengths and overcome the weaknesses from time to time. The SWOT (Strength Weakness Opportunities Threats) analysis of our success or failure would give the right direction to one’s success in future. It is the time to introspect and ask oneself whether you have given the hard work required for the success in this particular examination or we lacked in our efforts? The second question, one needs to ask oneself that if you have worked hard then have you concentrated your energies on your ultimate goal or were these efforts waivered? Lastly, one needs to ask oneself that despite of smart work for success in examination, have you failed to give your best in those crucial three hours of examination? Remember the famous dialogue of Shahrukh Khan from ‘Chak De’ movie,                  for success, what matters is your performance in those seventy minutes of match on the ground. So I would say what matters is your performance in ‘those 180 minutes’ in examination hall rather than what you have prepared in prior two years of preparation phase. Once you have exactly zeroed down on the exact reasons for your success or failure in the examination then you can apply the same formula for upcoming challenges in your life with a new vigour. Secondly, one must avoid comparing oneself with othersyou’re your performance in the examination. It is not important to compare oneself with the others, but one must compare oneself with the self only and must try to do better than the previous.

Something different in the career–

There are various career opportunities available for the students in this digitalised world. Majority of the students are not interested following the traditional methodology of career selection, but are more interested in doing ‘something different’ in their career. The expectation of ‘something different’ from any career is a vague term, but has strong sentimental value. I believe that ‘something different’ in a career has got two sides. To reach to the topmost position of any career option is the essence of the sentiment of ‘something different’ in a career. It is to be noted that, it is not the career option but it is the excellence achieved in any field which would give you the desired respect, command and earning from a particular job option. Despite of a depressing scenario of unemployment and underemployment around us, there is always a scope for every career option if you are in that topmost category of respective professional options. There is a need to compete oneself and emerge as the best in a particular field, not the mediocre of any career option! Second aspect of ‘something different’ in a career is really for those aspirants who really want to do something extra through career in order to serve the nation or society or to make change in the lives of others. The career option of civil services can give you an opportunity to serve in the coveted appointments of Government services as well as to earn good salary, respect from the society, authority through the Government system and most importantly to touch the million lives of downtrodden people in the society. Another career option with difference is the career to serve our motherland, by becoming the commissioned officer in the Armed Forces through CDS or SSB examination. Clarity about your aim in professional life would pave way for adopting a correct path in a systematic way. The parents, mentors, seniors and well wishers can give the inputs regarding various career options available to the candidate, but the ultimate choice must be made by the candidate only as he has to give his best efforts in the career option which he has chosen.

The selection of a career path should be on the basis of you’re your own SWOT analysis. Don’t suppress the feeling of doing ‘something different’ through professional career, but take a firm decision about your future and follow a disciplined, dedicated and a directed way towards your success in the professional life.

(The author of this article ,Lt Col (Dr) Satish Dhage, is an ex Army officer and has been qualified for IPS (Indian Police Services) through IPS LCE 2012. Presently, he is Director, MGM Institute of Competitive Exams Aurangabad. For any queries or feedback, he can be contacted on email id : drsatishdhage@gmail.com)