2 weeks ago
IIT Hyderabad Graduate's Journey From Amazon Offer to IIM Ahmedabad
Vivekananda is a very smart student from India.
He finished his engineering degree at IIT Hyderabad in 2021.
He got a big job offer from Amazon, a famous technology company.
But instead of taking that job, he decided to try becoming a government officer.
He studied hard for the UPSC exam for nearly four years.
He passed the first round three times, but never made the final list.
He did not give up and became a Customs Inspector in September 2025.
Then he turned to business school, studying only about 45 days for the CAT exam.
He scored an amazing 99.92 percentile and got into top management institutes, including IIM Ahmedabad.
His story shows that setbacks can lead to new and better opportunities.
IIT Hyderabad alumnus Vivekananda Pasam received an Amazon Software Development Engineer offer during 2021 campus placements but chose UPSC preparation instead.
He spent nearly four years preparing for the Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examination, clearing the Preliminary stage in 2022, 2023 and 2025 but not reaching the final selection list.
He cleared the Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level examination and was selected as a Customs Inspector in September 2025.
With around 45 days of CAT 2025 preparation, he scored 99.92 percentile and converted offers from all seven of the top IIMs.
He chose the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and joined its 2026-28 programme, calling the next two years a test of his 'resilience, humility, and perseverance.'
- Who
- Vivekananda Pasam, an IIT Hyderabad alumnus
- What
- A career journey from an Amazon Software Development Engineer offer, through UPSC preparation and Customs Inspector service, to admission at IIM Ahmedabad
- Where
- India, from IIT Hyderabad to the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
- When
- From his 2021 graduation through CAT 2025 and joining IIM Ahmedabad's 2026-28 programme; he was selected as Customs Inspector in September 2025
- Why
- He was driven by an interest in governance, economics and public policy, and turned to management education after setbacks in his UPSC journey
Key facts
- Degree
- BTech in Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Hyderabad (2021)
- Job offer declined
- Software Development Engineer at Amazon
- UPSC attempts
- 2022, 2023 and 2025
- UPSC result
- Cleared Preliminary examination in all three attempts; did not reach final selection list
- Government service
- Customs Inspector via SSC CGL, selected September 2025
- CAT 2025 score
- 99.92 percentile with about 45 days of preparation
- IIM admissions
- Converted all seven top IIMs; chose IIM Ahmedabad
- Programme
- IIM Ahmedabad 2026-28 programme
Quotes
Vivekananda Pasam
IIT Hyderabad alumnus and aspiring IIM graduate
“Six months ago, when I started preparing for B-school interviews, I genuinely believed that converting the top IIMs was beyond my reach.”
NDTV
Sources
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