When the goals are shallow, depression is a typical consequence. Define success in such a way that it keeps you occupied for life. Do not keep a deadline for success.
Let me elaborate. Ask yourself, what is that you want to achieve in life. Look around. Understand the problem that attracts you. You come from financially deprived family. You perhaps want to eradicate poverty, or at least ensure that there are no more youth like you who is suffering for wrong reasons. Start thinking what you could do to solve this issue. It is a journey. It is not one step that you need to take. Commit your life for one such goal. In the meanwhile, you need to do a variety of things. You need to sustain yourself first. You need a job. You need a family. You need to keep your family safe and happy. You need good friends. For this to happen, you need to be mentally and physically strong. So, invest your time in all these things. You will quickly realize that getting a job is a small piece of a much bigger problem. The nature of the job only matters if it is somehow connected to the problem you want to solve.
Alright, having a goal for life and the pursuit to achieve it will keep us away from depression. It will keep us busy. It will bring joy and prosperity. But, this is not all. We need to deal with the intermediate small problems. The problem at hand is to find a job that helps you to stay healthy and reasonably wealthy. The mantra here is to be a good thinker, actor and producer.
Let me elaborate again. The common mistake we do when we look out for jobs is to see where the crowd is moving towards. Everyone is going to a call center does not mean that is the only place available for work. For example, consider teaching in a small school. It will pay you at least 20k and will help you lead a good life. It will force you to be a good communicator. It will keep you active by standing and walking for most parts of your day. There are many such jobs – administrative jobs in colleges and companies are another option. We have been trained to stop thinking from our early school days. For example, one of my teachers used to reprimand me for asking questions. She does not like anybody to ask question. So, gradually, students became 1) memorization machines and 2) follow-the-crowd ants. Get out of this mode. Find the right job. Do not spoil your life to get into one wrong job which is not working for you. Thinking deserves at least two more pages of writing. But, let us now move towards acting. I do not mean the cinama kind of acting. This is to “work”. Act. Put effort. Everyday, make a small plan on how you want to progress towards a goal. Execute that plan. Without thinking, acting will only waste your time in the wrong direction. This is what is happening with you in your UPSC and GATE preparations. You need counselling on how to prepare. Stop cramming all topics and memorizing formulae. Stop studing everything in the world. Other members here can give tips on how to study. Same applies to interviews. Write a great resume, apply to the right places and know how to ace interviews. With the commitment to work hard, there is nothing we cannot achieve. Finally, just thinking and acting is insufficient to a happy life. Start producing results. If you are not producing results, make smaller objectives (towards the same big or intermediate goal). Try to achieve them. If you still cannot, make it even smaller. If you cannot achieve anything, there is something wrong with you. Go back to the first step. Think.
We have one life. One opportunity to experience. Your situation is unique. Your experience will be unique. Make it useful, not only to yourself but to everyone around. Cheers and good luck.
Venkatesh Vinayakarao 