Shivani’s long road to officer dreams amid setbacks

What Happened

In Satna, Madhya Pradesh, Shivani Jha pursued a pathway toward becoming an officer alongside her broader professional ambitions. Her parents supported both children equally, providing Shivani access to Satna’s ICSE school and later a BE in Electronics from Madhav Institute of Technology and Science, Gwalior, completed in 2020. After campus placement, she joined TCS and worked remotely for nearly two years, then moved to a cybersecurity firm with continued remote work. Shivani began exploring a career in the armed forces by engaging with the Services Selection Board (SSB) process after learning about it in 2019. She first appeared for the screening in February 2020 and passed that stage on the first attempt, having prepared without coaching. Over the next years, she faced several hurdles: a medical disqualification during an Air Force round, an eye surgery, and multiple rounds where she was screened out or faced interview challenges. A health scare during the pandemic involved low oxygen levels in Kolkata, contributing to a temporary pause in another attempt. Throughout this period, the process remained highly subjective and dependent on multiple assessors’ evaluations. Shivani describes the SSB as a comprehensive personality assessment with five days of tests and interviews conducted by three independent assessors. She notes the variability and unpredictability faced by candidates, including fellow aspirants who were equally capable.

Why It Matters

The narrative illustrates how a determination to pursue a public-service role can intersect with personal health, subjective evaluation systems, and repeated setbacks. It also highlights a family environment that supported equal opportunities for Shivani alongside her brother, enabling a STEM career and aspirational government service ambitions without traditional gendered constraints. The account underscores the non-linear nature of competitive military selection in India and the real-world impact of medical and psychological screening on long-term career trajectories.

Background

Shivani grew up in a household that treated her and her brother with similar expectations. Her father works as a factory supervisor, and her mother is a homemaker. The family emphasized educational attainment by enrolling Shivani in Satna’s best available ICSE school, which reportedly positioned her for higher education opportunities. Shivani completed a BE in Electronics and entered the IT industry through campus placement, later transitioning to cybersecurity work while maintaining remote roles.

Key Facts

• Location: Satna, Madhya Pradesh
• Parents’ professions: father a factory supervisor, mother a homemaker
• Sibling: brother works with Reliance Industries
• Shivani’s education: ICSE school in Satna, BE in Electronics from Madhav Institute of Technology and Science, Gwalior (2020)
• Initial IT career: joined TCS through campus placement, nearly two years of remote work during the pandemic; later moved to a cybersecurity firm, continuing remote work
• SSB involvement: first screened in February 2020 on the first attempt
• Setbacks: medical disqualification in an Air Force round, eye surgery, and multiple earlier-stage eliminations; health scare with low oxygen levels in Kolkata during the pandemic
• Process nature: SSB is a five-day selection process with psychological tests, group tasks, and interviews evaluated by three assessors