Jharkhand: Utkarsh Kumar is an alumnus of IIT Bombay, one of the most prestigious universities of India. He worked for a multinational company post his graduation. The job was paying him in lakhs, but Utkarsh had dreamt of doing something better. 

Utkarsh wanted to contribute to the betterment of society. Leaving his job was quite a risk he took, but it needed to be done. He started preparing for the UPSC exams, but when he could not clear the examinations on his first attempt, he was filled with self-doubt and uncertainty about his decisions. But he knew one shot at it was not enough, so he tried another attempt at it, and cleared the examinations with a commendable 55th rank. 

Life’s first failure

Being a student of IIT, he had always been a top student. As per the expectations of his family, he even got a high-paying job on his first try. Failing in the UPSC exams was the first failure he experienced. 

Utkarsh did not look at it as a setback and instead took it as a motivation to improve himself. 

Early studies

Utkarsh completed his schooling from DAV school, Hazaribagh. Like many other aspirants, he studied in Kota for the engineering entrance examinations and graduated in Computer Science from IIT Bombay. Both his parents worked government jobs and he was fortunate enough to receive good education. 

Decision to prepare for UPSC

When Utkarsh decided to leave his job to prepare for UPSC exams, his decision seemed scary. Looking at the low success rate, he was unsure about what he might do if he ends up failing the exams. Finding another good job would be a humongous and exhausting task in this competitive world. But it was the faith he had put in his capabilities that made him move forward with his decision. 

Becoming a civil servant

Utkarsh had fulfilled all his parents’ expectations. He had studied from a top college and got a top job with a high salary. He had made his family members happy, but Utkarsh always found himself restless about things. He thought that there must be more to life than just doing an office job. He was terribly unhappy deep down and decided to do something in the service of his nation. 

He was an avid reader and read motivational books of KJ Alphons. He received his inspiration from there and decided to become an IAS.