Until one year ago, if someone had asked me whether I would be interested in joining the banking sector, I would have laughed it off. Banking was never an initial career option for me. So, how did I end up writing a success story here?
Let’s go back to 2005
I had just completed schooling and was getting ready for college education. The only problem was that I didn’t know what course of study to pursue. I lacked ambition. My parents, relatives and friends solved this problem for me. They analyzed the education market and came to the conclusion that engineering was the way forward. They were so kind they even suggested a branch, ‘Computer Science’. Due to my aforementioned lack of ambition, I accepted. Now, the next question was ‘Which college?’ The entrance examination results told me that I did not have the aptitude to study in a reputed college. It was okay. There were plenty of self financing ones. I joined one near my home.
Fast forward to 2009
I managed to survive the engineering ordeal. Though my academics were just above the average mark, I had managed to secure a job at an MNC. But I had to wait another year as my offer of employment was extended due to recession. So, in 2010, I joined the company. My status changed from ‘studying’ to ‘working’. It was a pleasant change. Initially, I started enjoying my work. I used to slog for long hours. Those among you who have worked in the IT sector would know exactly what I’m talking about. However, after three years, I felt it was time for a change and I quit.
I didn’t give much thought as to what I wanted to do next. My parents were very supportive and never questioned my decision to quit. But, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted. So, I decided to do some internet research. It brought me to the conclusion that a government job is perfect if you wanted aspects like job security and professional and personal life balance. Being an engineer, I started looking for government jobs in engineering. My attention shifted towards GATE. PSUs were recruiting through this exam. To crack GATE, I decided to join an institute. Halfway through, I lost interest. My GATE score was far from impressive. Though I managed to qualify, I was sure that no PSU would hire me.
After the GATE debacle, I was clueless as to what my next course of action should be. I didn’t want to stay at home because I was embarrassed. My parents and relatives had faith in me. But I let them down. A couple of my friends told me that they would be joining an institute for CAT coaching. I didn’t give it a lot of thought. I decided to join. At the institute, I saw that there were classes for bank coaching as well. Slightly curious, I googled for info about PO and Clerk jobs. One of the first sites that I visited was Bankers Adda. I have to say, it was love at first sight for me. The site is a treasure trove of information about the banking sector. I had never considered banking as a career option, and here was this website, endorsing the sector. I decided to aim for a banking job.
By the time I realised the benefits of the banking sector and decided to apply for the exams, the SBI PO date had passed. I was told that this was the holy grail of bank exams. Still, there was hope left as the IBPS and SBI Associate PO exams were on the way. Preparing for the banking exams was pretty easy. The material covered as part of CAT coaching was more than sufficient for QA, VA and LR sections. The only problem was the Awareness section. Thankfully, Bankers Adda came to my rescue. Your capsules were the only notes that I referred to.
IBPS was my first exam. I was confident of cracking it. After the two hour period had ended, I was sure that I would clear the cut-off. Next up was SBI Asso PO. I found it to be easier than the IBPS paper. The descriptive portion was also doable. Again, I was confident of clearing the cut-off. These were the only two bank related exams that I had applied for. As expected, I cleared both the cut-offs. The IBPS interview was, for lack of a better word, ‘OK’. The SBI Asso interview was far better. When the IBPS results were announced, I was happy to see that I had been provisionally selected as a PO in PNB. My written score was 114 and interview score was 72. The composite score was 60.
Here ends my search for a secure, well-paying job. I’m pretty sure that selecting banking is one of the best decisions that I have taken in my life. My hearty congratulations to all those who managed to secure these jobs. To all those who are aspiring to become bankers and to all those who did not clear the cut-offs this year, I have only one thing to say to you: Believe in yourselves. You have made the right career choice. The universe is conspiring for your success and you just need to put in that extra little effort. Please remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I wish each one of you all the very best and sincerely hope that you taste success soon.
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