From UPSC to Tech

When Passion and Purpose Collide

Every once in a while, life throws you at a crossroads — and the path you choose shapes not just your career but your identity. For me, that moment came after a year of intense UPSC preparation. What followed wasn’t just a switch — it was a full-circle return to who I truly am: a builder who wants to drive impact through technology.

You don’t wake up one day and decide to leave a dream you’ve spent over a year chasing — especially when it’s something as respected and transformative as the UPSC. But sometimes, your soul quietly tugs you in a direction you can’t ignore.

For me, that tug came at 2 a.m. — not while reading Laxmikant, but while automating my study schedule in Python. That’s when I realized: I never stopped being a builder.

This isn’t just about switching careers. It’s about choosing alignment over approval, and rediscovering the tools that make me feel truly impactful — not just to society, but to myself.

My Engineering Start – Where It All Began

I entered my B.Tech in Computer Science in 2019, wide-eyed and fascinated by how code could solve real-world problems. As a Computer Science student — endlessly curious about how things work. I wasn’t just learning syntax; I was immersed in building websites— I wanted to build things that mattered.

Soon, I was neck-deep in hackathons, robotics competitions, and college tech fests, where we’d stay up all night debugging circuits and deploying MVPs on Heroku.

By 2020, the world had changed. COVID had locked us indoors, While it isolated many, it ignited something powerful in me. I launched my first startup, “Aakanksha”, with a simple mission: to teach tech and soft skills for free to those who couldn’t afford formal coaching.

I created modules on Python, web dev, ML basics, and resume building. We built an LMS, trained over 10,000+ learners, and helped many land jobs or internships. From managing Telegram groups with thousands to writing backend code in Flask — I was doing it all.

I was 20, and I felt like I had finally tasted real impact — That was my first brush with tech-led impact — one line of code, one student at a time.

The UPSC Detour – A Different Kind of Dream

In my final year, something shifted.

I began visiting NGOs, orphanages, and old-age homes as part of outreach activities — brought me face-to-face with deep-rooted societal challenges. I started questioning: Could I do more? And I couldn’t unsee the systemic issues: poverty, inequality, access gaps, digital illiteracy. No matter how much I coded, I felt helpless watching lives limited by circumstances.

UPSC felt like the answer. Here was a system that trained you to understand the Constitution, craft policy, and impact lives at a scale startups couldn't touch.

So I stepped back from tech and plunged into full-time preparation — a world of NCERTs, Hindu editorials, GS papers, and ethics modules. I learned governance frameworks, analyzed social justice models, and wrote countless answers on how to improve the education system.

It wasn’t easy. There were no weekends, no hobbies. Just a desk, a dream, and an unrelenting schedule.

But amid all that discipline, something else kept tugging at me.

The Turning Point – Daydreams Don’t Lie

While revising for mocks, I would drift into thoughts of building apps that automate schedules, scraping mock data for analytics, or designing UI layouts to simplify revision.

I wasn’t just preparing — I was problem-solving.

I even wrote Python scripts to analyze mock scores, used Selenium to automate tasks, and built Notion dashboards to track my study plans, and kept ideating ed-tech platforms even while reading about the Right to Education Act.

I wasn’t procrastinating — I was gravitating.

That’s when it hit me: even at the peak of UPSC prep, I hadn’t stopped building. I had just changed the domain. I never stopped being a builder. UPSC didn’t change that — it only made it clearer.

But walking away wasn’t easy. There was guilt ("You’re giving up after investing so much?"), judgment ("You just want the easy way out?"), and even self-doubt ("What if I fail in tech now too?").

But I knew this: impact doesn’t wear one uniform. It can be a bureaucrat, or it can be a backend dev who builds platforms that empower.

You can do it from a laptop too. So I made the call. I picked up my laptop.

I reopened VS Code — and started again.

Startup Impact – Back to the Builder’s Bench

I didn’t just return — I rebuilt.

I restructured my startup, expanded into new verticals, and co-founded Orvyn Global, focusing on AI, automation, and digital solutions for emerging businesses.

I led projects using Python, Flask, React, PostgreSQL, and even dipped into Docker and AWS for deployment. I created AI-powered hiring tools, scraped real-time datasets, and built dashboards using Pandas, Plotly, and Streamlit.

Beyond code, I led cross-functional teams, managed growth marketing, designed training modules, and helped startups automate their operations end-to-end.

From a solo content creator to a product strategist, and from a data analyst to a community mentor — but the core remained: solve real problems with empathy.

Lessons Learned – The Power of Pivoting

Here’s what no one tells you: pivoting isn’t failure — it’s clarity.

I’m not the girl who “quit” UPSC. I’m the woman who chose purpose over pressure.

I’ve seen how a single line of code can unlock opportunity. I’ve seen how tech can democratize access, amplify inclusion, and build from the ground up.

You’re not a failure for changing paths. You’re brave for choosing growth over guilt.

Takeaway for Readers – You Don’t Have to Choose One Box

To the student feeling torn.

To the dreamer feeling judged.

To the techie wondering if they’re allowed to care about society.

This is your permission slip.

You can start with Python at 16.

Build a startup at 21.

Study for UPSC at 23.

And still write APIs at 24.

And it’s still valid.

If you’re standing at a career crossroads, here’s what I want you to know:

• It’s okay to pivot.

• You don’t need to fit one mold.

• You can build a career at the intersection of empathy and execution.

Careers don’t have to be linear.

💡 Value takeaway: The best careers are built at the intersection of curiosity, impact, and courage. Let your life be proof that builders can care, and dreamers can debug. Don’t be afraid to pivot when your heart whispers. You don’t need everyone to understand — you just need to stay true to your calling.

—Aakanksha

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