Career planning not a one-time affair

Jubilee Hills: K Srinivas, Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India, has said civil servants should keep enriching their knowledge and widening their horizons, so they can seize upon various opportunities unfolding within and outside their organisations.

Addressing Military Engineer Services (MES) Probationers from 13 States, who are undergoing a Foundation Course at Dr MCR HRD Institute, he observed that in the past, government employees had a tunnel vision of the career opportunities and, therefore, spent the entire span of their service in only one department. However, the contemporary world of work underwent exponential changes and thereby brought in its wake innumerable career opportunities.

Government officials should keep diversifying and enriching competencies so they can stake claim for a large number of career opportunities as they arise. "Going on deputation to other organizations could be a good option," he stated and added that in the years to come government employees would have innumerable opportunities to explore in different organisations, instead of working merely in their watertight compartments.

"Exposure to multiple organisations will be greatly instrumental not only in understanding the administrative issues in their true and total frame of reference but also in finding innovative solutions to problems," the senior official said, adding that career planning was not a one-time affair; rather, it was an unending process of continuous career progression.

B P Acharya, Spl. Chief Secretary and DG of Dr MCR HRDI, said that the thorough knowledge of engineering alone, which is the great strength of the MES probationers, is not enough for touching the commanding heights of their careers. "A deliberate attempt to acquire knowledge of all the other related disciplines holds the key for attaining an outstanding success in their careers.

Srinivas presented certificates to Assistant Collectors Group I Officers and others, who successfully completed the e-Learning Modules, formulated by the DoPT. He also gave away prizes to the MES Probationers for the best Village Visit and TREK presentations.