A woman's honest post about her journey from IIT Kharagpur to failing the UPSC examination has struck a chord on social media. In a post on X, Harini Reddy shared how the exam "completely humbled" her, leaving her feeling lost before she eventually rebuilt her life and career.The woman spoke about how difficult it was to leave the UPSC exam behind after investing years into it. (Unsplash/Representative image)Reddy recalled growing up in a farming family and how her father's dream of seeing her become an IAS officer shaped her childhood. "My father is a farmer and my mother is a homemaker. Till 4th standard, I studied in a Telugu-medium school in my village," she wrote. "My father used to tell everyone in the village: 'I will make my daughter an IAS Officer'. It started as my father's dream," she added.(Also Read: Student explains what truly makes IIT special: 'It's not the course, professors or academics')From village school to IITReddy shared that she later moved to her grandparents' home in a tier-2 town to study in an English-medium school. Her grandfather, a government school teacher, introduced her to IIT."After that my goals became very simple: Crack IIT. Crack UPSC," she wrote.Reddy shared that she achieved her first goal by securing admission to IIT Kharagpur. After graduating, she said that she worked in the corporate sector for 2 years before quitting her job to prepare full-time for the UPSC examination.Reddy said that she failed the Preliminary examination in her first attempt. In her second attempt, she said that she reached the Mains stage and believed it was her best chance. "I didn't make it," she wrote.She added that the COVID-19 pandemic then disrupted her preparation, and she gradually lost momentum. "The COVID happened and somewhere along the way I lost my rhythm. I just couldn't continue the preparation," she said, adding, “UPSC completely humbled me.”Reddy said that the experience challenged her long-held belief that hard work alone would eventually lead to success. "For most of my life, I believed that if I truly wanted something and worked hard enough, I would eventually achieve it. UPSC challenged that belief. It shook my confidence so much that, for a while, I felt I couldn't accomplish even the smallest things," she wrote.Reddy also spoke about how difficult it was to leave the exam behind after investing years into it. "Anybody who put a few years into UPSC will know that it's a toxic relationship. You can't continue or leave it fully. Existential crisis hit and I started questioning everything," she said.The IIT grad said that she slowly found her way back with the support of her husband. She worked with an NGO supporting farmers' rights, briefly joined the Andhra Pradesh government in a contractual role and later returned to the corporate sector. "Life kept moving on and now I am a MOM," she said."Most of my time now revolves around work and my toddler. For most of my life, I was always chasing the next big goal. Today, I'm not. Life taught me that not every phase needs a destination. Sometimes, it's enough to simply live it. I'm grateful for everything I have right now," she added.Reddy concluded the post saying that she now uses X to share her thoughts, opinions, failures and lessons, hoping to connect with others on a similar journey. “I don't have a niche, and I'm okay with that,” she wrote.(Also Read: IIT alum breaks down ₹25 LPA CTC after first salary turned out lower than expected: 'Mujhe laga bank ne galti ki hai') Social media reactionsThe post resonated with many social media users, who praised Reddy for speaking openly about failure.The post resonated with many social media users, who praised Reddy for speaking openly about failure.One user wrote, "Many aspirants will see a part of themselves in your journey. It takes courage to speak about setbacks as openly as achievements. Wishing you continued happiness and success in every role you take on.""Your journey from village dreams to IIT and beyond is truly inspiring such resilience through UPSC setbacks and into joyful motherhood. you are already lighting the way for so many," commented another."thank you for sharing this so honestly. i'm sure more people see themselves in your story than you realize," wrote a third user. "Inspiring journey," added another.