Step by step to the top

SS Grewal

MANY of us have potential for career advancement but get bogged down by a variety of reasons and decay on low-paid jobs. I ventured to exploit this potential, faced challenges, seized opportunities of career advancement and reached the top of the ladder. My journey may motivate others. 

 I was among the first to graduate from the newly established PAU, Ludhiana. I wanted to study further, but due to financial constraints of a migration-hit joint family, I had to opt for a job. Soon there was pressure to get married and I had to tie the knot. Marriage dampened my spirit for sometime, but the fire within for career advancement kept burning. There was a provision for study leave without pay for MSc (Agriculture) after five years of service. I applied and got admission in MSc (Soil Science) at PAU. My wife was motivated to join college at Sidhwan and settled in a hostel. We had little savings, but fees and hostel charges were nominal. God helps those who help themselves. I got merit scholarship after the second trimester. Being an in-service candidate, with good grades too, I cultivated a rapport with my professors. The nameplates of Dr Prihar, Dr Sekhon, Dr Randhawa created a strong desire to write ‘Dr’ with my name too, but I had to revert to the department after the course because of a conditional bond.

Back in the department with better qualification, the nameplates of my seniors, decorated with prefix of ‘PAS-1’, began bothering me. Later, some posts of PAS Class II officers were advertised by the PPSC. I made it, but ‘PAS-I’ was still elusive. 

 Around that time, the Government of India created the Agriculture Research Service in the Ministry of Agriculture on the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. This Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) service provided opportunities for a direct Class I position as agriculture scientist after a national examination. I applied for it and studied hard for months. I cleared the exam and joined the Government of India’s Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute at Chandigarh. ‘Class I’ was achieved but ‘Dr’ was still not in my kitty. 

As luck would have it, ICAR made a provision for in-service PhD with full pay to upgrade the faculty. I again grabbed the chance and enrolled for the PhD course at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal. Shifting my family to Karnal was followed by a period of serious research. Thanks to my guide, I got my degree in two and a half years and got back to Chandigarh. ‘Dr’ was finally a part of my name. 

In the meantime, ICAR invited applications for a post-doctoral fellowship under the Indo-UK technical collaboration programme. This took me to Edinburgh University, Scotland, for a year, which perhaps was the last step in the domain of my education.

 Yet, there remained a thirst for professional growth. PAU advertised the position of Associate Director in a World Bank-supported watershed management project. I was selected. I shift to PAU, my alma mater. After few years, the post was upgraded to Director. 

Mine is a story of lifelong hard work, dedication and arrowhead objectivity. Some of you might like to follow this path, though tortuous, to reach the top.