Career Guidance for High School Students in Chickaballapura District

​Dr R G Nadadur, President and Colonel C M Uthaiah, Director, addressed a career counselling seminar for school students in a village about 100 kilometers from Bengaluru on March 06, 2022. It was arranged by Smt Usha Shetty and her colleagues of the Gramaantara Trust.
 
Dr Nadadur started off by telling the 40-50 students to assess for themselves the career that interests them and which will give them satisfaction. He told them that there is every opportunity of going to the top and earning high salaries in several professions. Then, he spoke about his own experiences in the civil service.  He also told them that a civil service officer does not just sit in an office and push files. Scared them by telling them how he was shot at when he raided an illicit liquor den; how he was almost run over when he stopped a truck carrying rice illegally; about the excitement in helping poor people in villages in several ways; the thrill of launching and implementing a massive watershed project with a loan from the World Bank; the rare privilege of attending meetings with President Dr Abdul Kalam; and, the memorable experiences while participating in the launch of rockets in our spaceport, and so on.
 
The students listened with a lot of enthusiasm. At the end of his talk, one girl came up to him and said that she wants to join the civil service! Six months ago, when he addressed another seminar, two girls expressed the same desire. A year ago, two girls and two boys sought his guidance in joining the civil services.
 
Colonel Uthaiah of the Kumaon Regiment, told the students about life in the Armed Forces. He also told them about getting into the NDA and the IMA and the OTs and what the training involves. He also narrated a thrilling battle that his troops fought, under his leadership,  during the 1971 War.
 
There is a lot of enthusiasm in the rural areas. The students need proper advise, guidance and some mentoring. Some of us are volunteering our time for this very important task.