Rahul Shinde, CEO, Belagavi Zilla Panchayat addressed The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counseling 2026 in Bidar on Saturday (May 9). | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“Make an informed decision about your career path and stick to it against all odds,” Rahul Shinde, senior IAS and CEO of Belagavi Zilla Panchayat, told students at The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counseling 2026, held at Shaheen Parvaz Hall in Bidar on Saturday (May 9).
Hailing from Bidar, Mr. Shinde traced his journey from a small town to IIT Bombay and cleared the UPSC examination. He focused on the need for youth to focus on rewarding careers along with developing a resilient personality.
“Developing a personality that can easily handle life’s difficult challenges is the primary condition for achieving success. Your goal in life should be happiness and success, not just material success,” he advised.
“The main factors behind choosing a career are interest in the subject, required ability to learn it, self-belief in one’s abilities and cultivated self-confidence. You should never choose courses based on what’s in fashion, current market trends and job potential,” he said, adding that everyone should develop a philosophical attitude towards material success. “We are all here because of the opportunities we have at different stages of life. It’s a race and we’re all on the same page. Some are ahead of us and some may be behind us just because of some influencing factors. What we choose shouldn’t bother us as much as what we do with our chosen career,” he said.
He gave tips on how to achieve academic success. “Above all, don’t be shy. You have to work on being confident in your abilities and skills and never be shy to show them at the right moment. We need both motivation and consistency. Success is a marathon and not a 100-meter dash. You can’t feel motivated one day and feel withdrawn the next. You have to make a plan and implement it in phases. If you look big, Kohlicketer will look big break into smaller goals and achieve big things with small steps Success becomes as easy as the next step and is not a vague dream on the horizon,” he said.
Recalling the inspiration he got from his teachers, Mr. Shinde asked the students to develop interest in arts, culture and sports and regularly participate in extra-curricular activities. “The influence of social media can be both good and bad because what we do with the information we receive is our choice,” he said.
Guests releasing the Hindu EducationPlus Career Guidance Handbook at The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counseling 2026 in Bidar on Saturday (May 9). | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The IAS officer along with other guests released The Hindu EducationPlus Career Guidance Handbook.
Dayananda J., CET Nodal Officer, gave details of KEA CET examination and counseling and Sachin Gudge, Associate Professor, Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences, spoke about medicine as a career. Vinita Balbhim Patil, principal, Lingaraj Appa Engineering College, spoke on engineering, while Parvat Bijaspur, CA, spoke on careers in commerce. Abdul Nasir Mauzam, a career advisor from CIGMA, spoke about the various career options available after PUC and a degree. Guests of honor Ramesh Kulkarni and Basavaraj Molkeri spoke about factors to consider before choosing a career.
Published – 09 May 2026 19:21 IST
