Bengaluru techie quits IT job to become a forest officer

The man, identified as Venkata Sreekar Patel, secured an all-India rank of 58. (Image credit: Venkata Sreekar Patel/LinkedIn)

A Bengaluru techie opted to quit his secure IT job and decided to pursue a career as a forest officer recently. Venkata Sreekar Patel, 31, was working as a software engineer in a startup in the city before he decided to pursue a career in civil services, a Times of India report said. As per his LinkedIn profile, Patel had worked in the startup for eight months before switching careers.

The man gave his UPSC Indian Forest Service exam in 2022 and secured an All India Rank of 58. However, the journey to serving in the civil services had many bumps, along the way.

"I started to prepare for civil services in 2017. I cleared the written exams in the first attempt, but couldn’t pass the interview. The next two attempts were also unsuccessful. In 2021, I finally managed to crack the interview after clearing the mains with flying colours," Patel said.

Patel did his under graduation in a Bengaluru college in electronics and communication engineering and won two gold medals. He admitted that he was an avid follower of all things related to the environment and was happy to have gotten a chance to work in the field.

"I couldn’t be happier. Environment has always been my niche, and I’m happy I’ve got a chance to serve in a field which always interested me," Patel added.

Also read: Bengaluru techie who earns Rs 58 lakh per annum says he feels 'lonely, overwhelmed'