Prakasam District Collector A.S. Dinesh Kumar, in an interaction with students from the remote villages of K Uppalapadu and Pakala in the district, asked them to dream big and strive hard to make their dreams a reality.
The Collector conversed with each of the 20 students from two State-run schools, one in Kondepi mandal and another in Singarayakonda mandal, late on Saturday to know about their ambition and hobbies.
The Collector, who completed his school education in Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu and drew inspiration from former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, presented to the students copies of the Telugu version of Ignited Minds(book by the former President).
Proper guidance wanted
Elaborating on his novel ‘Coffee with the Collector’ initiative to inspire members of GenZ to prepare for a bright career early in life and work hard in a systematic manner to succeed in life, he said: “During my visits to different parts of the district, I observed that students are brilliant. But they groped in the dark as there was no one to provide proper guidance to them. Hence the initiative.” The Collector, who initially started his career as a software engineer, shared with the students how he cracked the UPSC examination in the third attempt after overcoming his weaknesses.
The time taken to prepare for civil services helps in moulding students’ personality, he underscored.
Replying to a question from a student as to why he left a lucrative software engineer job, he said he preferred a career in the public service sector. In this context, he made a mention of noted freedom fighter and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, who belonged to a class of selfless politicians who worked for people’s welfare relentlessly.
Asked by another student about the most satisfying experience he had so far, he said providing relief to people during the pandemic was the most satisfying moment. The State government had given the officers a free hand to deal with the serious health situation, he added. While many of the boys aspired to become Information Technology professionals, girls wanted to become doctors, teachers, bankers and civil servants.
The Collector assured them to arrange for follow-up meetings with software professionals, academicians and senior civil servants for them to get proper career guidance and pursue their goals successfully.
He would continue his interaction with more students of government schools on Saturdays, he said.
