In October 1949, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in his speech to the members of the Constituent Assembly, said “You will not have a united India if you do not have a good All-India Service which has an independence to speak out its mind.” Ever since then, civil services have known to play a crucial role in all the administrative systems of the state, with its persistent influence affecting all the citizens, in some way or another. Today, as a result, millions of ambitious students aspire to make their voices heard, and are determined to create a difference in the society by contributing towards the betterment of the Indian governance system in whichever way they can, and as much as possible.
Although mostly considered as a ‘dream career’, the road to success to this safe haven is anything but a dream ride. It does not only require a significant show of talent, intelligence and ambition to get it, but also an enormous amount of passion, dedication and perseverance to make it (Or break it!) for a career which is just as challenging and attractive in the beginning, as it is rewarding and satisfying in the end.
The aspirants of Indian civil services thus, favor the top three services such as IAS, IPS and IFS for which UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) conducts an exam for recruitment. These services are much sought after due to their recognition of being bestowed with great power to bring about societal development, and encompassed by all means one can ever aspire for such as prestige, status, honor, salary amount, job security, foreign tours, etc.
Before we take you through the Top Services, read about these 5 Amazingly Badass Bureaucrats You Would Be Proud To Know.
However, every now and then, speculations abound and one reels under confusion. Thus, in an attempt to remove this uncertainty of whether or not to choose civil service as a career, following is a brief comparison between the 3 main kinds of services and why each of them should ever be considered by different kinds of people.
IAS (Indian Administrative Service):-
Being an IAS officer, one is entrusted with the responsibility of administering laws of the land, development schemes and each and every affair of the district. They are the policy makers and executors of all final decisions of the state. This service also provides them with an opportunity to work in a tremendous variety of fields such as social sector, security, law and order, agriculture, finance, etc. Thus, this service is best suited for aspirants who like working in different spheres and love interacting with all kinds of people, as compared to those who are limited in their area of work and get satisfied by excelling in one particular field only.
However, the job’s routine is pretty unpredictable. Along with long durations of travel postings, one also always needs to be on his/her toes in the times of any unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, intellectually sharp people with a tough and reflexive attitude would make for some great IAS officers.
IPS (Indian Police Service):-
Being an IPS officer, one is entrusted with the authority to look after some of the most essential issues of the state such as public safety and security, law and order, traffic control, crime detection and prevention, etc. IPS officers can also go on to work with many central police organizations or head intelligence agencies such as CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) or CID (Crime Investigation Department) to solve crime investigations, provide security for VIPs or tackle counter-terrorism.
In the wake of increasing terrorist threats, criminal attacks and trafficking, a job of an IPS officer may seem like the most dangerous one of all. However, after solving an unpredictable case or serving justice to the wrong doers, the satisfaction brought to their soul is unmatched to any other feeling in the world, and worth all the efforts and dangers put in to complete their job. Therefore, those who are incredibly goal oriented, intellectually stimulating, can think ‘outside the box’ and possess a burning desire to serve the people of the society in the best possible way, will be the ones considered for this type of career.
IFS (Indian Foreign Service):-
As an IFS officer, one deals with all the external affairs of the country that involve framing and implementation of foreign policies, and issues related to diplomacy, trade and inter-cultural relations. An IFS officer spends most of his/her time abroad (almost two-third of his/her entire career) and only one third of career in India to serve at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs. IFS officers get to chose three places of their choice out of the number of vacant posts circulated, and are also allowed to take their parents abroad with them.
By being given a full opportunity to travel the world, embrace new cultures and enjoy life to the fullest, the job of an IFS officer may actually turn out to be tons more exciting and life-changing than it sounds. However, it is both equally strenuous and time constraining as well, therefore highlighting the qualities of being extremely punctual and responsible with all the work, and giving more than hundred percent in every task. Therefore, this proves to be the most difficult and performance-oriented career out of all the three services, and if one feels confident and strong willed enough to handle it, then they should definitely go for it.
Nevertheless, one also needs to be extremely fluent in English-both spoken and written, for IFS officers are always required to handle lots of delegations from various countries, and therefore constantly involve having easily understandable communications between people of different embassies of the world.
Therefore, this was our selective take on the top 3 services (IAS, IPS, IFS) of civil services. We hope that we could do some justice with the content and your expectation setting. For more information on how to start preparing for Civil Services while juggling college, then, we suggest you to start with the Civilsdaily’s Android App to get a daily dose of IAS-Exam specific newsfeeds to build on your current affairs, and any further help in the future. Good luck!
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Shagun Marwah
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