I started preparing for the UPSC when I was 25. I made it at 28. Those three years were very formative. It is also important to realise that these three years were also years where I was trying to figure out where I stood a young person. It would be a very boring essay if I narrate entire events. Instead let me try to capture the changes in a few Keywords.
Courage: My life rotated around a few parties every night and sitting in front of a computer learning different programming languages or thinking of the new product that our company would launch. I joined computer science engineering because I loved computer science. However, the whole software engineering job where I had to stick to schedules and jump to the whims and fancies of some client was draining it away. I had always wanted to attempt the Civil Services Examination but was too concerned about the outcome. The moment I decided to take the plunge, I transformed from a person fearing the outcome to a person taking action. It was like aiming for another branch of the tree without holding on to the one I was sitting on. CSE examination taught me courage.
Humility: I was extremely sure that I would top the exam in the first attempt. Having been an above average student all my life had instilled that sense of entitlement in me. Having passed all engineering exams by studying the day before had made me oblivious to the efforts made by toppers. They were just losers wallowing in textbooks all day long to just get a gold medal. I felt that I did not get it just because I did not want it. However, I did not even clear the preliminary exam in my first attempt. I was taught humility by this exam. I never underestimated hardwork in my life again.
Perseverance: My whole life was put on a hold because of this exam. My girl friend had to wait for me to pass the exam. My desire for that latest iPhone had to wait because I did not have a job. That movie had to wait until the syllabus that I had planned to cover was done. Thus, every decision in my life revolved around this goal. When I failed to clear the exam in the first attempt I had the option of going back to my previous life. I decided to stay. The second attempt hit me even harder. I had to wade through a lot of negativity that surrounded me. All these chances I decided to stay true to the goal that I had set for myself. I learned perseverance through my UPSC preparation.
Rounded personality: I never read the newspaper in college. From a narrow focus in my life, UPSC opened me upto the wide gamut of knowledge that existed around me. It is not that it was not there before also. Our education also tries to develop us into those rounded beings. But somewhere along the way I had forgotten its purpose. CSE preparation brought me back to that world. The amount of things that I did not know would humble me. I also was instilled with that urge to learn more.
Most of the things that I acquired through preparing for UPSC, I believe would come to anyone who makes a focussed effort at anything. It is not the exam that changes you. Had I prepared for CAT or JEE or set my goal at weight loss the results would have been same. This realisation is what differentiates people who clear this exam and those who don’t. I can only put it down here in so many words. I hope this helps you.