Well Ankur Gargh The Topper of IAS is really a very frank guy I must say . I has mailed him about my dilema and the following was his reply

“The ‘powers’ vested in an IAS officer should not be the yardstick which one should use to decide on the option of joining the services. Joining the services would certainly be very different from most other placements, as almost all the latter are jobs, whereas IAS is a career. You will have to take your own decisin based on your temprament, competence and interest in administrative issues.

Again, how one finds the ‘execution of powers’ would be a personal decision. For me, it has been an immensely satisfying experience till date. I could not imagine myself in any other job. Thats the reason why after 4 years of an IIT Degree and inspite of selection in all IIMs for an MBA degree, I chose to opt for the Civil Services. But then, its a personal decision and may vary from person to person.

To your question ‘is it worth it’ – my reply when answering for myself would be – yes, every penny of it. Would it be worth your while for you – I am not really the best person to comment.

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PS: Ankur , Dude sorry for not asking ur permission to publish this. But this ll help many man …. So am publishing this