From Electrical Engineering to the Civil Service of Pakistan.
I studied Electrical (Power) Engineering at UET Lahore, but civil service was always the real intention underneath it. Engineering simply taught me how to multitask under pressure, and that turned out to be its own quiet form of preparation for everything that came after.
The hardest part of the journey was never the books. It was the societal pressure, the doubt from people around you, the comparisons, the weight of expectation that follows anyone brave enough to attempt something as demanding as CSS. I got through it the way I would tell any aspirant to get through it: stay consistent even on the days it feels pointless, protect your mental health through exercise, and hold on to something bigger than yourself. For me, that anchor was Quran and Namaz, especially on the days self belief was hardest to find.
When the result finally came in 2017, I did not feel like celebrating. I felt relief, and a gratitude that went far deeper than the exam itself. Looking back now, after more than seven years in Pakistan's civil service, if I could sit across from myself on day one of preparation, I would say only this: enjoy the journey. The exam is only one part of a much bigger story you are about to live. Do not rush past it just to reach the end.
Waleed Ashraf, Founder, ACE by CSP Waleed. CSS Qualified, 2017.