u/dabbycabby

The prelim exam date is already declared as something like 14th July, yet there's no advertisement for application submission. It's less than 2 months from today. Do you guys think the exam might get postponed? There's absolutely no communication from MPSC regarding group C prelims and application submission. It makes candidates' lives miserable because how to even structure the study now.

Can I solve group C PYQs for group B prelims preparation? Do these exams have the same syllabus and difficulty of questions?

Background:

I graduated with a BE in IT in 2017 and started my career at an MNC through campus placement. Worked there for around 2 years before convincing myself that I didn’t want a predictable corporate life and should try building something more meaningful.

In 2019, I enrolled in a diploma course in commercial photography. Then COVID happened.

By the time I completed the diploma in 2021, the industry had changed completely. I stayed in Mumbai trying to break into commercial photography and slowly realised something uncomfortable: talent mattered far less than networking, contacts, and being in the right circles.

Eventually I returned to Nashik and opened my own photography studio. That failed.

Seeing me without stable income for years, my family pushed me toward a “safer” business opportunity: a restaurant. I invested nearly 40 lakhs into it through multiple loans and family pressure. The business never really took off. We shut it down within 6 months and most of the money was gone.

At that point I decided to rebuild my career from scratch and return to IT.

I completed courses in data analytics, learned Power BI, SQL basics, built projects, made portfolios, and applied everywhere. LinkedIn, Naukri, referrals, cold emails, everything. Easily 500+ applications.

Ironically, the technical interviews usually went well.

The problem always came later.

HR rounds kept circling back to the same thing:

“Your career path is not relevant.”

“The gap is too long.”

“We cannot justify this profile internally.”

One company even asked for documents explaining my “career inconsistency.”

After hearing variations of that enough times, it honestly started breaking me mentally. My lifestyle became terrible from stress and irregular routines, and I eventually landed in the ICU with DKA. Recovering now, doing much better physically and mentally, but that phase forced me to stop pretending I could keep brute-forcing life the same way.

Now I’m trying to think realistically instead of emotionally.

Question:

The one thing I’ve always been naturally good at is practical tech problem-solving.

Not coding.

I mean things like:

- Operating System installs and troubleshooting

- SSD upgrades and migrations

- Backup/recovery

- Router and network setup

- Software debugging

- PC optimisation

- General “fix anything tech-related” work

Basically the person everyone calls when their laptop dies five minutes before an important meeting.

I even approached a few local computer/infotech shops thinking I could work there, learn the business side properly, then maybe build something of my own later.

Got told I’m “overqualified.”

So now I genuinely want practical advice from people who’ve seen real-world business and careers in India:

- Is there still a future in non-coding IT support/system administration/troubleshooting work?

- Would a small software-services/IT support business actually work in a Tier-2 city like Nashik?

- Is there a smarter path I’m completely overlooking?

- If you were in my position at 31, what would your next move be?

Not looking for motivation or sympathy. Just honest perspective from people who’ve either built something or rebuilt themselves after things went sideways.

Background:

I graduated with a BE in IT in 2017 and started my career at an MNC through campus placement. Worked there for around 2 years before convincing myself that I didn’t want a predictable corporate life and should try building something more meaningful.

In 2019, I enrolled in a diploma course in commercial photography. Then COVID happened.

By the time I completed the diploma in 2021, the industry had changed completely. I stayed in Mumbai trying to break into commercial photography and slowly realised something uncomfortable: talent mattered far less than networking, contacts, and being in the right circles.

Eventually I returned to Nashik and opened my own photography studio. That failed.

Seeing me without stable income for years, my family pushed me toward a “safer” business opportunity: a restaurant. I invested nearly 40 lakhs into it through multiple loans and family pressure. The business never really took off. We shut it down within 6 months and most of the money was gone.

At that point I decided to rebuild my career from scratch and return to IT.

I completed courses in data analytics, learned Power BI, SQL basics, built projects, made portfolios, and applied everywhere. LinkedIn, Naukri, referrals, cold emails, everything. Easily 500+ applications.

Ironically, the technical interviews usually went well.

The problem always came later.

HR rounds kept circling back to the same thing:

“Your career path is not relevant.”

“The gap is too long.”

“We cannot justify this profile internally.”

One company even asked for documents explaining my “career inconsistency.”

After hearing variations of that enough times, it honestly started breaking me mentally. My lifestyle became terrible from stress and irregular routines, and I eventually landed in the ICU with DKA. Recovering now, doing much better physically and mentally, but that phase forced me to stop pretending I could keep brute-forcing life the same way.

Now I’m trying to think realistically instead of emotionally.

Question:

The one thing I’ve always been naturally good at is practical tech problem-solving.

Not coding.

I mean things like:

- Operating System installs and troubleshooting

- SSD upgrades and migrations

- Backup/recovery

- Router and network setup

- Software debugging

- PC optimisation

- General “fix anything tech-related” work

Basically the person everyone calls when their laptop dies five minutes before an important meeting.

I even approached a few local computer/infotech shops thinking I could work there, learn the business side properly, then maybe build something of my own later.

Got told I’m “overqualified.”

So now I genuinely want practical advice from people who’ve seen real-world business and careers in India:

- Is there still a future in non-coding IT support/system administration/troubleshooting work?

- Would a small software-services/IT support business actually work in a Tier-2 city like Nashik?

- Is there a smarter path I’m completely overlooking?

- If you were in my position at 31, what would your next move be?

Not looking for motivation or sympathy. Just honest perspective from people who’ve either built something or rebuilt themselves after things went sideways.

Background:

I graduated with a BE in IT in 2017 and started my career at an MNC through campus placement. Worked there for around 2 years before convincing myself that I didn’t want a predictable corporate life and should try building something more meaningful.

In 2019, I enrolled in a diploma course in commercial photography. Then COVID happened.

By the time I completed the diploma in 2021, the industry had changed completely. I stayed in Mumbai trying to break into commercial photography and slowly realised something uncomfortable: talent mattered far less than networking, contacts, and being in the right circles.

Eventually I returned to Nashik and opened my own photography studio. That failed.

Seeing me without stable income for years, my family pushed me toward a “safer” business opportunity: a restaurant. I invested nearly 40 lakhs into it through multiple loans and family pressure. The business never really took off. We shut it down within 6 months and most of the money was gone.

At that point I decided to rebuild my career from scratch and return to IT.

I completed courses in data analytics, learned Power BI, SQL basics, built projects, made portfolios, and applied everywhere. LinkedIn, Naukri, referrals, cold emails, everything. Easily 500+ applications.

Ironically, the technical interviews usually went well.

The problem always came later.

HR rounds kept circling back to the same thing:

“Your career path is not relevant.”

“The gap is too long.”

“We cannot justify this profile internally.”

One company even asked for documents explaining my “career inconsistency.”

After hearing variations of that enough times, it honestly started breaking me mentally. My lifestyle became terrible from stress and irregular routines, and I eventually landed in the ICU with DKA. Recovering now, doing much better physically and mentally, but that phase forced me to stop pretending I could keep brute-forcing life the same way.

Now I’m trying to think realistically instead of emotionally.

Question:

The one thing I’ve always been naturally good at is practical tech problem-solving.

Not coding.

I mean things like:

- Operating System installs and troubleshooting

- SSD upgrades and migrations

- Backup/recovery

- Router and network setup

- Software debugging

- PC optimisation

- General “fix anything tech-related” work

Basically the person everyone calls when their laptop dies five minutes before an important meeting.

I even approached a few local computer/infotech shops thinking I could work there, learn the business side properly, then maybe build something of my own later.

Got told I’m “overqualified.”

So now I genuinely want practical advice from people who’ve seen real-world business and careers in India:

- Is there still a future in non-coding IT support/system administration/troubleshooting work?

- Would a small software-services/IT support business actually work in a Tier-2 city like Nashik?

- Is there a smarter path I’m completely overlooking?

- If you were in my position at 31, what would your next move be?

Not looking for motivation or sympathy. Just honest perspective from people who’ve either built something or rebuilt themselves after things went sideways.