WOULD
YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
I graduated
from UET Lahore with BSc. Mechatronics & Control Engineering (class of
2016). I was also part of the U.S. State Department's Global UGrad Exchange
Program, Fall 2014 and studied at Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA.
WHAT WERE YOUR OPTIONAL SUBJECT
AND THE REASONS TO CHOOSE THEM?
Political
Science
Constitutional Law
U.S. History
Gender
Studies
Sociology
My calculus was based on
a tradeoff between three variables- interest, pre-existing knowledge and
scoring trend. I had read numerous books on certain topics, many of which were
related to these courses, even before I decided to prepare for CSS exams. So, I
picked subjects I was most comfortable with and that showed a promising scoring
trend as well.
HOW
WOULD YOU LET OUR READERS KNOW ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS PHILOSOPHY?
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands
in the way becomes the way.”
(Marcus Aurelius)
Three
considerations govern my philosophy of success:
First,
self-growth and learning is the sine qua non for having a meaningful life. And,
nothing has contributed more to my growth than the challenges I've had to face
to achieve the goals. To me, the thrill of the chase is all that matters.
Second,
I believe success should repeatedly come in small packages, hence, I advocate
passionate dedication for the pursuit of short-term goals. I'm micro-ambitious
in that respect. I believe that if you look too far ahead, you might miss the
shiny thing right at the corner of your eye.
Third, I
measure personal success in terms of the cumulative human impact it generates.
Not coincidentally, it happens to be the primary reason why I love teaching
because it has the potential to have a transformative effect on other
individuals.
WHAT
LEARNING METHOD ONE SHOULD ADOPT WHILE GETTING PREPARED FOR CSS?
Smart and targeted study is absolutely necessary to get
through this exam. One has to maintain a precarious balance between
under-studying and over-studying any given topic. For this, students need to
take direction from past papers to know how much they need to cover on any
given topic.
In
the first round of study, only cover important topics- those for which you can
find questions in past papers and prepare those topics in the context of those
questions.
Only
in the later rounds of study, if you find enough time, you should cover other
topics. This is applicable to all courses, except English and the three General
Knowledge courses; for these subjects, newer issues take precedence over the
older ones.
Everyone
has a unique learning style, so start with identifying yours. If you're a
visual learner, make good use of documentaries and YouTube videos. If you're
auditory learner, take classes from good teachers. Reading, however, is
necessary for all kinds of learners.
So, shave off your
rougher edges, and play to your strengths!
Don't forget
to make notes.
WHEN
DID YOU CONDUCT CSS EXAMINATION AND WHAT WAS YOUR POSITION?
CE-2017.
Position: 21st in Pakistan
& 12th in Punjab.
WHICH GROUP HAVE YOU JOINED?
Group:
Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS).
WHAT WERE YOUR INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES DURING YOUR STUDY AND
SUCCESS?
I have always
staunchly admired people who have had a profound impact in contributing towards
the evolution of society. M. A. Jinnah, FDR, Lee Kuan Yew, Feynman, Russell,
Musk are but a few among the list. Such people have demonstrated that one
should channelize one's unique potential in advancing the society at large. I
routinely watched and read about these change-makers which acted as a
never-ending source of inspiration for me to develop my career in public
service.
WHAT’S THE THING THAT BRIDGES
STUDY AND SUCCESS/RESULTS?
Discipline!
Creating and updating deadlines and timelines; following a rigorous routine by
allocating requisite time to all the subjects; focusing on overcoming the
weaknesses and augmenting strengths; hence studying in the right direction
while being consistent is formative in achieving success.
The
aspect of luck cannot be factored out either. I believe luck plays a
significant part in what a person eventually ends up achieving. So, a
combination of luck, talent and hard work results in success.
NORMALLY SUCCESS IN WRITTEN PART
OF EXAMINATION IS THE FIRST STEP...