Career gap after engineering to becoming a Supreme Court Advocate - Siddharth’s journey from UPSC preparation to finding his true calling in Law!
For Siddharth, civil services was never a childhood dream. Following his father, who was a civil engineer, he joined civil engineering in K.K. Wagh Institute of Engineering, Education and Research, Nashik . Like most of the engineers, he thought about what to do in life and career, while doing engineering!
“During my engineering days, I realised I was not very interested in civil engineering and began thinking what to do. My father worked in PPP projects and hence had to deal with lot of government offices. Observing his work, I realised that government offices had a lot of control and decision making powers in infrastructure projects which form the backbone of development of the country.”
This piqued his interest in working in the Government and he started exploring various options. He zeroed in on attempting the UPSC Civil Services Exam to become an IAS officer. After graduating in 2014, like most aspirants from Maharashtra, he joined Jnana Prabodhini in Pune for coaching for the civil services exam. Despite all his hard work and stringent preparation, he could not clear the prelims in 2015. Unfazed, he put in even greater efforts, gearing up for the 2016 attempt.
“While I put in all efforts possible towards my second attempt at UPSC, I was also aware of the downsides of having a career gap. The good thing about Jnana Prabodhini was, the teachers and mentors advised from early on not to put all eggs in UPSC basket, especially after one or two unsuccessful attempts. Therefore, while I prepared hard, I was also aware of the reality of the exam, and hence was in a better mental frame to face any eventuality”
As after his second attempt, he did not want to have another gap year, he started preparing Plan B options, which he would execute on the eventuality of failing in 2016 attempt. He started listing out options on things can do. He knew he was putting all his efforts, and there was only incremental improvements he could do with his preparation after the second attempt. His family and many others suggested to write other government exams like state services, SSC, RBI, NABARD, bank exams etc while trying for UPSC in further attempts. It was also the path many of his friends pursued.
“I was somehow reluctant to try other exams, popularly called allied exams. My reasoning was, again there is no guarantee of clearing these exams. And if I don’t clear, I would still have toostart any career from scratch. Also, I did not want to spend all my time in preparing and writing competitive exams, with no real knowledge gain. I started consciously thinking about Plan B, researching and listing options.”
After doing his research, he listed out MBA, a degree in journalism, and LLB as potential options. During preparation, he had enjoyed reading current issues, polity, constitution and writing on them. Hence, ruling out MBA, he tried for admission for law and journalism. He could secure LLB admission in Government Law College, Mumbai and ILS College, Pune. He also got admission for journalism degree in Ranade Institute, Pune. In the 2016 attempt, Siddharth could not clear the prelims again. Though he was fully prepared with his optional subject and had done tons of writing practice, he did not get a chance to face the Mains. However, because of his plan for this eventuality, he was ready to face the negative result.
After evaluating the pros and cons, and introspecting his interests, he chose LLB in ILS College, Pune. Also, he did not want to completely give up on UPSC yet. In LLB in ILS college, daily his classes would start at 8 am and get over by 11.30 am, giving him ample time to keep up the incremental efforts needed for UPSC exam. And so began his law journey.
During his first year and second year in law, he attempted the UPSC exam again i.e in 2017 and 2018. But, in both the occasions, prelims once again proved to be the hurdle, and he could not get through it. By then, he concluded, there was no point putting legs on two boats anymore and decided to single-mindedly focus on law.
“I did not want my third year of LLB to be optimized for preparation again. Also, I had developed a keen interest in constitutional law, thanks to the vast library of ILS college, which housed some of the greatest books. I put in all my efforts to law, and since I was already in the practice of reading for long hours, this was not a herculean task. I actively started networking, and left no opportunity unturned to work with advocates in practice. I was lucky enough to intern with a senior lawyer who used to practice in Bombay High Court before my final semester.”
After graduating, Siddharth started working in the chambers of Mr. Nitin Deshpande, a senior advocate in Bombay High Court, who was on a lot of government panels and handled a number of government cases. Siddharth saw officers including IAS and IPS officers brief his senior on matters, and how everything had to be ultimately settled at the judiciary. This reinforced his interest in the legal field and in litigation. Siddharth got the opportunity to pursue his interest in constitutional law, as Mr. Nitin Deshpande used to handle a number of cases related to writ jurisdiction. He also started representing in Bombay High Court in multiple matters and made it a point to network with people in his field.
“For a law graduate, to some extent, luck matters, to be in the right chambers and get the opportunity to learn from the right seniors, who can guide you. However, it is possible to be in the right environment and still not grow if one is confided to their own assigned tasks and do not volunteer for additional responsibilities and if they stop learning and reading. Further, it is important to network, talk to people and build contacts. To be fair, my grandfather was a lawyer, and some members of extended family are in the legal field. However, as neither of my parents are lawyers, I had to go through the grind to get my initial opportunities.”
In 2021, when Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu resigned to take up practice in Hon’ble Supreme Court, Siddharth sent him a cold e-mail with his CV and requested for an opportunity to work in his chambers. He got selected for it and moved to Delhi in December 2021.
“I got married in December 2021 and my life partner is also a lawyer. I am now staying in Delhi and the feeling of representing matters in the highest judiciary of our country is simply extraordinary. I got the opportunity to file a writ under Article 32 and though I did not clear UPSC, I know I am able to make an impact in another way. I have also begun writing articles to the Mumbai Tarun Bharat, which is widely circulated in Mumbai, Pune and Konkan areas of Maharashtra. Also, I really enjoy litigation and I am happy I moved on without continuing studying the same History, Geography etc for Civil Service Exam.”
Siddharth still has two attempts remaining and is not sure whether he will write the civil services exam again. But he is happy he did not let his personal and professional life stall because of attempts. For now, he is planning to learn more in the chambers of Mr. Dama Seshadri Naidu and establish himself as an advocate.. He strongly believes it is important to build a Plan B, especially after two attempts.
“For those who intend on pursuing law after gap years, let me assure you, at least in litigation it won’t matter too much as long as you are willing to put in the hours, efforts and keep learning. I have also seen some of my friends graduate with law degree at the age of 32/33 but able to establish themselves in litigation. Even to join law firms, as long as you can convince the recruiters in the interviews that you are capable, one or the other firm will ignore your gap years and hire you. But, having multiple years of gap especially due to competitive exams like UPSC, is a definite drain on mental health and confidence. Hence, be prepared with alternate plans.”
“How many attempts to give, when to execute your Plan B is a personal decision and depends on each person’s own circumstances. But, my advice is, let the UPSC exam or any other competitive exam not consume your life. There is more to learn and much more to live for!”
You can connect with Siddharth on Linkedin. You can also drop a mail to hello.beyondthedream@gmail.com if you have specific questions for Siddharth regarding getting back to legal career after gap years or pursuing a law degree as backup for UPSC.
If you are preparing for the UPSC exam or trying to transition out from UPSC preparation, check out : beyondthedream.in