This Haryana Man Left IIT Halfway, Got 38th Rank In UPSC And Now Runs A Mentorship Programme – News18

More than thousands of people dream of becoming an IAS or IPS officer and taking the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations. There are many individuals who choose to leave their secure and high-paying jobs to become civil servants. One such example is Gaurav Kaushal, who hails from Haryana and cracked UPSC but later chose a different path.

Gaurav Kaushal was born and raised in Haryana. He has always been a high achiever. In 2012, he bagged the 38th All India Rank (AIR) in the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE). Subsequently, he joined the Indian Defense Estates Service (IDES), where he was responsible for managing military land and overseeing administrative functions within the Cantonment Board. However, later, he left his job of 12 years to become a mentor for UPSC aspirants.

Gaurav Kaushal completed his schooling in Panchkula. Later, he qualified for the prestigious Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and enrolled himself at IIT Delhi. After a year into the course, he decided to quit IIT Delhi and instead pursued B.Tech in Computer Science at BITS Pilani. Again, he pivoted from his decision and quit the college after a year into the course. He pursued his B. Tech degree this time from Punjab Engineering College.

Gaurav’s accomplishment entails passing JEE not once, but twice and also passing the Staff Selection Commission – Combined Graduate Level (SSC CGL) exam. But, he did not take up that job either. He decided to leave his civil service job which reflects his willingness to take risks.

After quitting his civil service career, he then focused on a mentorship programme for UPSC exam aspirants. Prior to this, he had been offering guidance to UPSC aspirants through his YouTube channel. Additionally, he launched an app named after himself, Gaurav Kaushal, that provides mentorship to UPSC candidates on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Gaurav Kaushal has a strong faith in the potential of today’s youth in India. He believes that with the right guidance, the youth can steer the nation towards substantial improvement. According to him, the most important achievement in his life is being able to guide a student and help them become an IAS Officer.