Reaching Out To Crack The Civil Services Examination

Stretching out your career for government jobs needs you to on take the civil service examination. This is one of the toughest exams held in India and comes along with proper guidance, preparation one can face the civil exam papers. Anyone aspiring for these must have the despicable quality like mental alertness, having interest in variety of subjects. One should have good intellect to tackle situations and subjects along with leadership qualities. Having the tacts and diplomacy and integrity and must knowledge in current affairs. Having a social and government interests in policies and development of the nation is equally important.

While first applying for the civil services examination one has to be selected, the first selection happens depending on certain criteria, these are as follows –

1. Only Indian nationals are eligible for IAS and IPS.A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India. Candidates belonging to either category must produce an eligibility certificate issued by the Government of India.

2. Age Limits are also a considering factor, a candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on 1st August of the year of taking the examination.

3. The candidate must hold a degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification.

4. Every candidate appearing for the Civil Services Examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted four attempts at the examination.

Next comes in the preparation, civil services syllabus is huge and must come along with proper preparations. Proper books like Manorama Year book for general knowledge, current affairs should be read. Books on Indian economy, social and national issues, Indian policy, science and technology, statistics, geography and history and culture should be widely read. Civil exam papers are quite based on rigorous general knowledge and should be taken the best preparation.

Civil services examination comes along in various types. The first civil exam papers are on general studies and carry 150 marks. Questions include General Science, current events of national and international importance, history of India, world geography, Indian Politics and Economy, Indian national movement and general mental ability. The second paper, called optional’ is on the (one) subject chosen by the candidate and carries 300 marks. Subjects to choose from include Agriculture, Mathematics, Animal Husbandry & Vetinary Science, Mechanical Engineering, Botany, Medical Science, Chemistry, Philosophy, Civil Engineering, Physics, Commerce, Political Science, Economics and etc. the second round Consists of eight papers carrying 300 marks each. Two are qualifying papers, one in English and the other in any recognized Indian language chosen by the candidate (options include – Marks obtained are not added in the total score. Third and fourth papers are on general studies and carry 600 marks. Rest is on two optional subjects, carrying a total of 1200 marks. The options include – Agriculture, Management, Animal Husbandry & Vetinary Science, Mathematics, Anthropology, Mechanical Engineering, Botany, Medical Science, Chemistry, Philosophy, Civil Engineering, Physics, Commerce & Accountancy, Political Science & International Relations and many more. The final round is the personality and interview round, and then the result is announced. Successful candidates in Civil services examination are allotted services according to their ranks in the final list. Individual preferences of the candidates are also taken into account while allocation of service. It is helpful to try and choose the same optional subject for the prelim and the main exam.

The first 50 gets the IAS choice followed by IPS and others. Anyone thinking of taking up civil service should have an idea how difficult it is to get in as lakhs of candidates apply for the 400 to 500 vacancies that may arise. So once you decide to appear in Civil services examination, one should be prepared to slog endlessly because. The success rate in this exam is less than 10%.

Civil Engineering and Construction Jobs in India

Civil Engineering is considered to be one of the oldest engineering disciplines among others like mechanical, electrical, chemical, military, aeronautical, and software engineering. Civil Engineering deals with planning, designing and executing construction activities that include physical and natural structures. It involves structuring public works like roads, buildings, bridges, canals, tunnels, airports, dams, ports, sewage systems and multitude of others. It takes place on all levels in both public and private sectors, from municipal to federal and from individual homeowners to international companies.

Civil Engineering is generally divided into several sub-disciplines that could be: (a) environmental engineering, (b) geotechnical engineering, (c) structural engineering, (d) transportation engineering, (e) municipal or urban engineering, (f) Water resources engineering, (g) materials engineering, (h) coastal engineering, (i) Construction engineering and (j) research engineering. Being such a vast field, civil engineering jobs in India are, of course, in plenty and with boom in real estate sector of the country, they have grown in numbers. It has always been one of the hottest professions with high demand for experts and professionals from this area.

Civil Engineering is one of the most superior or high-ranking professions in India. The need for improvement in infrastructure to match the international standards is realized today, generating jobs for civil engineers. Infrastructure of our country is either not very robust or too old to bear the shocks from natural calamities or otherwise. Many roads need immediate repair; sewage systems require constant attention; various flyovers and bridges have to be built and a lot of other structural maintenance and development works is also due. All such activities ask for services from engineers so that these multifarious problems can be solved properly.

Profile of Civil Engineers

The primary responsibility of civil engineers is to plan and design a project, construct it to the required scale and maintain the product. Not only high levels of engineering knowledge but supervisory and administrative skills are also required. Planning projects involve site investigation, feasibility studies, coming up with solutions to possible complications and the actual structural designing. Civil engineers have to work according to the guidelines of the local government authority and get plans approved by them. Preparing cost estimates, setting construction schedules, maintenance and repair of work is also an important part of their job. Construction work also implies dealing with clients, contractors, government officials, architects and supervision of work.

Henceforth, civil engineers are responsible for designing and administering the construction of public structures and facilities like roads, bridges etc. Most of the companies demand specific specializations suitable to the respective job profile.

Like in other fields, civil engineering and construction jobs usually start on a low responsibility note. As an employee demonstrates his level of proficiency in the field, tasks become more and more responsible. The job opportunities for civil engineers are diverse as well as dynamic as they work in diverse settings varying from a plush modern office to a job site in remote areas. Also, more often than not, construction jobs may involve traveling within or maybe outside the city.

Team work and coordination plays a crucial role for civil engineers as they mostly work in big teams. Construction professionals can work in state or central government projects as well as in private concerns or overseas. Civil engineering jobs also include being a supervisor of the construction site; a managerial position in design or research and teaching in both government and private services. The option of working as independent consultants is also open to civil engineering professionals.

The scope for civil engineering and construction jobs in India is huge, you may start exploring options with help of job portals like naukri.com, India’s leading job site.

Deepika writes on behalf of Naukri.com, the no.1 job portal in India.She writes on topics like Engineering Jobs, Jobs and increasing work concentration.

What is Civil Engineering all about

First lets answer the most important question: Who is a civil engineer?
A civil engineer is someone who is responsible for planning and designing a project, and also construction and maintenance of the product/project. A professional in this field not only requires a high standard of engineering knowledge and qualification but also supervisory and administrative skills. The planning part a civil engineers work includes – site investigation, feasibility studies, giving solutions to complications and the actual designing of structures. Their work has to abide by the guidelines given by the local government authority and get plans approved by the relevant authority. They also have to work on preparing cost estimates and set construction schedules. The construction work involves dealing with clients, architects, government officials, contactors and the supervision of work according to standards. Besides all this, their work also involves continuous maintenance and repairing of the project.

Specializations:
The specializations in civil engineering include structural, water resources, environmental, construction, transportation, geo-technical engineering etc. Civil engineers either work in teams or in coordination with other engineers on most of the projects. They can work as a supervisor of a construction site or in a managerial position or in design and research. They can also take up teaching in government services or private concerns. They can even become independent consultants.

Eligibility criteria to become a civil engineer and course areas: The minimum requirement to become a civil engineer is a bachelors degree in engineering.
Career Options and Job Prospects of a civil engineer: Civil Engineers can look for a job in Government departments, private and public sector industry.

Remuneration/Salary: The earnings of a civil engineer depend on the industry he/she has been employed into. Civil engineers can work under departments such as Central or State government departments or private concerns. The starting salary of a bachelors degree Civil Engineer in India is Rs.4000 up to Rs 7500 approximately.

Institutes: IIT’s or Indian institute of Technology in New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur are the top most engineering institutes of India. Besides that International Council for Management Studies and Hindustan College in Chennai, Jadavpur University and National Institute of Technology in Durgapur, Singhad Institute of Management and Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune, Dayanand Sagar Institutions and R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and Institute of Piping & Building Services in Hyderabad, Indira Gandhi International Open University (IGNOU) and Jamia Milia Islamia in Delhi, IMS Institute and National Institute of Mumbai in Mumbai are some of the other prestigious Engineering institutions in India.

From the pyramids in Egypt to the international space station, civil engineers have always overcome the challenges to ensure that we have a better future. They have been responsible for advancing civilization and building a better quality of our life.

The coming years will be the most creative, demanding, and rewarding of times for civil engineers, and now is the best time to decide what the right career path is for you. Civil engineers are definitely in the forefront of technology as they cannot only develop or create regular and ordinary things but also have the power to create wonders.

Civil engineers are the leading users of high-tech products they apply the very latest concepts in computer-aided design (CAD) during design, construction, project scheduling, and cost control.

Civil engineering is mainly about community service, development, and improvement — the planning, design, construction, and operation of facilities which is essential to modern life. These things range from transit systems to offshore structures to space satellites. Civil engineers can be simply described as problem solvers. They meet the challenges of pollution, traffic congestion, drinking water and energy needs, urban redevelopment, and community planning, making living comfortable for others.

The future of this world will be closely tied to space, energy and the environment. A civil engineer performs a vital role in linking these themes and improving quality of life for the 21st century.

Skills of a civil engineer will be needed as the technological revolution expands, as the world’s population increases, and as environmental concerns mount. There is absolutely no limit to the personal satisfaction that one feels from helping to make the world a better place to live in and thats what a civil engineer can do.

All India Civil Services

If civil services fascinate you, if you have what it takes to get into being a professional in the civil services, then you will have to prepare really hard but its assured that all the hard work is worth it. For quite some time, civil services jobs have been attracting a lot of people.

IAS, IFS, IPS are a part of the civil services. All the departments which run the state administration and fall under the government directly are a part of the civil services. Those parts of the central/state civil services have to look after the smooth functioning of various departments (non military) and to see that it works as per the constitution.

The civil services age back to 1919, and hence hold a large history to it. The kind of job profile and power that it brings with itself has attracted many aspiring youngsters. Many youngsters and students wish to pursue a career in civil services and there are many reputed coaching centers in India teaching various courses in civil services. There are mainly three types of examinations conducted for civil services:

Preliminary exam It consists of two multiple choice question papers, both objective. These papers total 450 marks. The divisions of the two papers are of the following pattern: first paper is for 150 marks consisting of questions from General Studies. The second set of paper is for 300 marks and the student can choose from the following options of subjects: Agriculture, Botany, Indian History, Law, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Zoology, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography and Geology.

Main exam- The number of candidates called for the main exam is usually 11 12 times more than the actual number of seats available. Those who obtain the minimum qualifying marks stated by the commission are then called for a round of interview, though its pretty obvious that the students appearing for the interview are twice more than the available number of seats. The marks that the student acquires along with the interview results determine the final ranking of those who are selected. Once students are selected for these services, they are allotted to the services based upon their scores and preference.

Written exam After this comes the written exam, which consists of a total of eight papers. Each paper has essay type questions, 300 marks each.

a)First paper consists of one of the following Indian languages (as per the eighth schedule of Constitution) Assamese, Bengali, Gujrati, Marathi, Hindi, Sindhi, Malyalam, Orriya, Kannad, Punjabi, Kashmiri,Telgu, Urdu and Tamil.
b)Second paper is English, third paper is essay, and fourth and fifth papers are General Studies.

c)Paper six, seven, eight and nine consist of the following subjects Anthropology, Botany, Agriculture, Chemistry, Commerce and Accountancy, Economics, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law.

Besides these, there has to be Literature of any one of the following languages Telugu, Chinese, Bengali, Kannada, Kashmiri, , Assamese, Hindi, Oriya, Punjabi, Pali, , Gujarati, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam, Arabic, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Konkani, French, Russian and English, German, Persian, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, , Mechanical Engineering, Political Science Management, Mathematics, and Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics Psychology, and Zoology and International Relations.
The question papers here are essay type consisting 300 marks each. Question paper 1 and 2 i.e. Hindi and English are just taken into account for qualifying purpose; it doesnt count in the ranking process. The General Studies paper and the optional subjects i.e. 3 7 are only taken into account if the candidate has cleared the language paper – Hindi and English.
The last procedure is the interview round for 250 marks, and the plus point here is that there is no requirement of qualifying marks. In the interview round, a board interviews the candidate after which the board refers the career records of the candidate here.

However, the candidate hence selected is expected to have a strong knowledge of national and international issues, languages, trends, new discoveries etc. along with a firm hold on the academic knowledge and skills.

Few useful links:

http://www.shiksha.com/

http://arts.shiksha.com/getCategoryPage/colleges/arts/All/All/Civil-Services-Politics-and-Railways

Career Option After Doing Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like bridges, roads, waterways, dams, ports, railways and buildings. Civil engineering is the oldest engineering discipline after military engineering. Actually it should have been defined as Construction Engineering, but it was termed as Civil Engineering to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering as in the past all the Construction works were undertaken by Military forces in the Europe. So, eventually it became Civil (Non-military) Engineering.
Civil engineers typically possess an academic degree with a major in Civil Engineering. In India, the length of study for such a degree is usually four years and the completed degree is usually designated as a Bachelor of Engineering.
It is traditionally broken into several sub-disciplines including,
1.Environmental Engineering
2.Surveying
3.Geo-technical Engineering
4.Structural Engineering
5.Transportation
6.Town and Urban Planning
7.Water Resources Engineering
8.Construction Engineering
9.Coastal Engineering
10.Building Engineering
11.Construction Management
12.Estimation and Valuation Engineering
There is no one typical career path for civil engineers. Most people who graduate with civil engineering degrees start with jobs that require a low level of responsibility, and as the new engineers prove their competence, they are trusted with tasks that have larger consequences and require a higher level of responsibility. However, within each discipline of civil engineering career path options vary. Though they are known as Civil Engineers in general, they become specialist of particular sub-disciplines after working for some months or years in the same discipline. So, I will choose to call them based on their discipline rather than Civil Engineers, i.e. Environmental Engineers, Surveyors, etc. Civil Engineers have all the above given Career options or discipline to choose from based on their interest.
Interested to Join Software Field?
Software Engineering or IT engineering is not a sub discipline of Civil engineering. With this additional paragraph, I would like to tell those students who wanted to join Computer Science Engineering or Information Technology studies, but are forced to join Civil, Electrical, Chemical or any other engineering by our Merit based admission system. Those students still have very good chances to join software industry if they follow my one “magical suggestion”.
And that is after joining Civil or Electrical or Chemical Engineering; they have 6 semester in the first 3 years of their engineering studies. They are relatively having more free time in the first 3 months of each semester and 18 months in totality. They should undertake some software courses (C, C++, Java, .Net, VB, Databases softwares) during these 18 months, gain expertise. Further, they can consult their elder relatives who are already part of software industry for the courses to be studied so that they can match exact requirement of industry. Remember; develop good analytical skills, problem (not day to day problems but Engineering and Mathematical Problems) solving skills, as no software company differentiates between students of different engineering branches, in fact they will be happy to have some talents who are having knowledge of some core engineering branches as they develop softwares for core applications also.
At the end of your engineering studies and after following my magical suggestion you have two industry options to choose from, where as those CSE or IT engineers have only one, “so cheers”.