A Young Man's Dilemma and Some Words of Advice

Recently, a young person wrote to me about helping him make a choice for the right career.  He wanted to know more about the Indian Police Service as an option.  I am quoting both from his letter and my reply to him.

Hello,
        I’m an electronics engineering student in the 4th year. I came across your site and blogs while surfing through the net. I must say it’s a good effort. It’s high time our public service officers got friendly with technology. There are almost no websites where anybody has shared his/her service experience. And that’s the reason why I’m mailing you. I’m at a crossroad of my career. One path leads to the private sector and the other leads to the civil services. I need your help in making an informed choice. I need your opinion? What would u do if you were in my shoes now? I have two job offers. Both are from big American software giants; Accenture and Caritor. But I’ve never wanted a regular career. I want a job which has endless challenges and a great environment to work in. I don’t shy from hard work if the work is meaningful and infact I believe in working the whole time; immersing myself in work to the point of burning myself. But I expect some positive results from it also and of course some positive feedback like a pat on the back { :-) I’m human }. Civil services offer an opportunity to some great work but I’m doubtful about the work environment. U would know better. Would u enlighten me on this? I believe in my country sir. I know if I work honestly I would make a little difference. But I also know that I’m not superman and I can’t change the whole system single-handedly. Still I’m sure you would agree that I 'm allowed to be an idealist. (After all that’s the power of the youth). To cut the argument short let me ask you a few direct questions:

 1. Will I be provided with an environment where I’ll be able to work independently without any unnecessary interference?
 2. Does IPS involve desk work, investigative work or infantry like work (as in naxalite areas)
 3. Is it possible to work honestly or are such honest officers harassed?
 4. Is their any scope for network and computer security specialization in IPS? I’m good at computers (which explains my 2 job offers)
 5. Do IPS officers who work in insurgency affected areas receive any special training to handle the special operations?
 6. Do the IPS officers who are sent to Central Para-military forces receive training?
 7. Do the IPS officers who are deputed to NSG undergo their commando training?

 I don’t know what prompted me to write to you. I guess from your writing in your blogs you seemed to be a helpful and level headed person who could give me correct advice. At this point in my life, good advice from any quarter is welcome. If you choose not to reply to this mail, just delete and forget about it. I'll undestand.

Here is what I wrote:

Thanks for writing in and sharing your thoughts.  Your dilemma is understandable and a right choice at this stage will save a lot of heartburn later.  Having said that I do not think I am in a position to really help you, because such a decision necessarily has to come after a great deal of soul-searching and analysis.  None but you will be the best-placed person to do this.  I will try to answer your questions and you can see how well it helps you.

First of all, I am glad that you already have some good job offers.  There was a time when students from smaller towns had the civil service as the only opportunity.  Over a period of time, the civil service has also lost much of its sheen.  It has become a much-maligned vocation and its effectiveness has rightly been questioned.  Unfortunately, the need for good people to join the civil service has always been there and as India negotiates the tough problems of over-population, environmental degradation, a fragmented society and lack of enlightened political leadership at various levels, public servants who are willing to put their career and life at stake for the sake of their ideals are necessary. 

This commitment is a necessary but not sufficient a condition.  What we also require is people who keep learning continuously, have a collaborative approach and innovate ceaselessly.  What we have now is services which think of themselves, not the common people and, as a result, do not collaborate enough.  The working of the government also needs a massive infusion of technology and modern thought, management techniques of team building and project execution.  The government is saddled with outmoded procedures and inefficient processes.  We need people who can practise positive destruction (a la Shiva, of Hindu trinity) and then build new systems from scratch.

If you feel that you have that kind of commitment and fire in the belly, you can think of civil services as a career.  It is not going to be an easy haul:  the work environment  is not always satisfactory.  The physical infrastructure and the quality of manpower available to carry out your vision is invariably not the best.  If we talk of the IPS, resources are always a contraint.  This is one arm of the government which can not fail and though one develops exceptional skills of crisis management, building of permanent systems many times takes the back seat.

The problem of harassment of honest officers is a bit overstated.  Early in one's career, one builds up one's reputation and then the expectations and responses from the power- that-be are according to that reputation.  Mostly, one is left alone.  It is another matter that one may not always get the high profile postings which seem to define the career of a successful police officer.  Much also depends on which state of the country one gets to serve in and what administrative and political culture prevails there.

As for job variety, IPS offers a large range, from traditional terrotorial policing, urban policing, traffic management, armed units, investigation, intelligence gathering, physical security, training -- you name it.  There is also an initial two-year training period, which really enhances one's personality through the best facities and training activities.  By putting one through tough situations in the early part of the job, the IPS also helps in building your character and confidence.  It provides you with an opportunity to make a difference to a large number of people by providing them better service and a feeling of safety and security.  That will always remain the ultimate attraction of this job.

So, this in short is what I wanted to tell you about IPS as a career.  You will have to examine your own value set, aspirations and priorities and decide if you want to give it a shot.

With best wishes

Nandkumar