My Takeaway from Tom Varghese

 


“Clearing Exams is One Thing, Clearing Chaos is Another” — My Takeaway from Tom Varghese, IAS

I walked into the session expecting another ‘IAS talk’  you know, the usual stuff: prep strategy, exam stress, study hours. But what I got? A reality check with a twist of wisdom.

Tom Varghese, IAS, didn’t just speak he unpacked lif

 “MCC is like a buffet. You come here for a degree, but you leave with stories.”

Boom. That hit. As someone still figuring things out, it made total sense. .

My Takeaway 1: Mistakes are the Real Syllabus

He said something that stuck in my head like a catchy lyric:

“If only we studied our mistakes like we study our exam syllabus.”

That’s deep, right? We’re wired to fear failure, but he flipped the script  your mistakes are your manual.

My Takeaway 2: Power Isn’t Loud, It’s Impactful

He broke down how he saw various careers.

Social work? Noble, but limited scale.

Judiciary and police? Reactive, they step in after the storm.

IAS? That’s where you forecast, prevent, and build.

And trust me, he wasn’t glamorizing it  he was being real.

> “I like challenging myself. I want growth. I want impact. That’s why IAS.”

I felt that. Hard.

My Takeaway 3: The Parent Pressure Loop is Real (But Breakable)

He called out the classic Indian dream triangle Doctor, Engineer, IAS. But guess what?

The scene’s changing.

Engineering isn’t the ‘safe bet’ it used to be.

AI might shake up the medical field.

Even cracking IAS is tougher now because of limited seats and sky-high competition.

But he didn’t say all this to scare us. He said it to wake us up.

It’s not about what your parents want. It’s about whether you are ready to fight for what you want.

My Takeaway 4: The Interview Isn’t an Interrogation

He debunked the UPSC personality test fear.

The board isn’t there to destroy you. They’re there to understand you.

"They tried to make me comfortable. They didn’t want to test my memory  they wanted to see my clarity.”

He stayed honest. He didn’t bluff intellectual stuff just to sound cool. That’s something I really admired his calm confidence, not arrogance.

In a Nutshell:

This wasn’t just about IAS prep. It was about prepping for life with courage, clarity, and chaos management.

So here’s what I scribbled in my notes that day (in all caps):

“KNOW YOUR WHY. RESPECT THE HOW. FACE THE WHAT.”

Because the world’s gonna test you  not just with exams, but with confusion, competition, and self-doubt.

But if Tom Varghese could figure it out amidst all that noise, maybe we can too.


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