Meet man who left high-paying job after just 10 month, cracked UPSC exam in second attempt to become IPS officer, quit after a year due to...

Hailing from a tiny village in Andhra Pradesh, this UPSC topper, born to a middle-class agricultural family, pursued his education at an English-medium convent until Class V. He later shifted to a private school in Srikakulam district headquarters, where he completed Class X. He then moved to Visakhapatnam to complete his Intermediate MPC group, securing 98.4%. Later, he pursued engineering at the esteemed National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, with a CGPA of 9.49 (as per his LinkedIn profile). However, he left a lucrative software job at Qualcomm, Chennai, after just 10 months as a SoC designer, feeling it wasn't suited to his desire to serve people. He had been promoted to Associate Engineer within a year but ultimately chose to quit and prepare for the UPSC exams.

Banna Venkatesh, the eldest son of Banna Chandra Rao and Rohini, made a firm decision to appear for the UPSC examinations after extensive deliberation with friends. He resigned from his job in 2021 to pursue this goal. Although he didn't succeed in the preliminary exams in his first attempt in 2022, he gained valuable experience and insights. Venkatesh used this as an opportunity to learn, identify areas for improvement, and refine his preparation strategy. In his second attempt in 2023, he overcame his previous shortcomings and secured an All India Rank of 467, getting selected for the Indian Police Service (IPS).

However, Banna Venkatesh again left the position of IPS as his ultimate goal was to become an IAS officer. After being selected for IPS and starting training at SVBPNPA in Hyderabad, he aimed higher and appeared for the UPSC exams again in 2024. He secured an All India Rank of 15 and was selected for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), achieving his ultimate goal. He  aims to serve his community by improving education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities to prevent migration.