Anukriti Sharma joined the 2020 batch of candidates for the UPSC.
There are success stories that are more compelling than others. These are stories of people who keep going despite setbacks and don't let doubt get in the way of their goals. One such example of tenacity and unshakable dedication is the tale we are going to explore. It reveals the incredible journey of Anukriti Sharma, who gave up a successful job at NASA to fulfil her lifelong dream of joining the Indian Police Service (IPS).
India's Group 'A' officers, including the esteemed IPS cadre, are selected through the demanding Civil Services Examination (CSE) administered by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). From the bustling Rajasthani city of Jaipur, Anukriti Sharma joined the 2020 batch of candidates for the UPSC. Her academic career began at Jaipur's Indo Bharat International School, and she later attended Kolkata's Indian Institute of Science Education and Research to pursue a BSMS degree.
Anukriti's life took an unexpected turn in 2012 when she received an admission offer to Rice University's Ph.D. programme in volcano research in Houston, Texas. She was offered an alluring position at NASA Institute, where she would be able to contribute to cutting-edge research on volcanoes, while she was studying for her Ph.D. in the United States. The monthly salary for this role was more than INR 2 lakh. Anukriti bravely chose to return to India despite the lure of a lucrative career in America, realising that her true calling was to serve society through the IPS.
Dedicated to becoming an IPS officer, Anukriti started preparing for the UPSC in 2014. Her journey was characterised by an unwavering spirit and unrelenting determination. She performed well on the preliminary exam in 2015 but poorly on the mains. She failed at the beginning of her second attempt. But Anukriti would not give up.
She made it to the interview stage on her third try, but she was not chosen. Relentlessly persevering despite obstacles, Anukriti returned for the assessment in 2018. She placed 355th this time, earning a spot in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS is a respectable agency, but it did not fulfil her dream. A part of Anukriti longed to put on the IPS uniform.
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 "Meet woman who left high paying job of NASA to become IPS officer, cracked UPSC in fifth attempt, she is from...")
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