The very purpose of life has encouraged me to think beyond my comfort levels. A satisfying education & job has kept up my motivation levels high. In order to be happy, motivating & inspiring in my community, I believe I have to be the same at home too. There are occasions I have drawn that positivity from myself from my ways to extending support to my community. It takes a village to hold up strong and gratifying.

Upon completion of my first Master's in Human Resource Management from the Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies, a mere job was not something I was willing to settle for, realization around a job just being an element of larger life was taking its form somewhere in my mind. Early on what impact organizations can bring about to those individuals that were differently-abled both physically and mentally. Without having a second thought, the path was to pursue an additional Post-Graduation Diploma in Special Education & to teach at Vidyasagar Institute, (Formerly known as Spastic Society of India).

After completing the program and teaching for 3 months I moved to the United States with my spouse. This being a totally new place and no work permit the only thing I could think of was to returning to school, learning & unlearning the norms of the land. I enrolled in my 2nd Master's Program at the Rutgers University, New Jersey specializing in Labor & Employee Relations. It was through one of the speed networking events I picked a temporary role at Tyco International. This was a classic example of working with a fantastic team of people & working on wonderful projects, diverse perspectives, teamwork, growing my skills. It did not happen overnight. There were moments that I had to slow down, do my homework around topics I had no knowledge about from a Corporate America perspective. My role converted to a permanent one & bigger satisfaction was being granted Tuition reimbursement for my Masters. I used to attend the office during morning hours & attended night classes to complete the program.

One of the milestones to remember as many other women professionals ahead of me had demonstrated was to multitask and redesign work-life balance. I was graduating, transitioning out from corporate role and its deeply ingrained habits around work hours to motherhood & start planning for my next role as not working was never on agenda! Roughly around when my daughter was a year old I picked a new job with PepsiCo which required me to relocate to Connecticut.

My Mother & Mother-in-law were key sources of support. They have sacrificed quite a bit of their self-time and sailed through uncomfortable waters for us. Both our mothers kept traveling to the US to support us in the process. Once, we had a nanny to help us, I was working from home that day when I stepped out to check on them, I saw both my children crying, while the nanny was sleeping; their diapers were filled, they were not fed. At one point in my career, I lived in Connecticut-so children went to daycare here, I commuted to New York for work and my husband was living in New Jersey. The routine was to drop kids at 6:45 AM then head to New York which took an hour and returned from work at 6:30 PM. I was not at peace to leave kids at daycare for 12 hours how much ever safe the place was. The mother’s guilt around not spending more time with family was piling up. I had to gather courage and make the choice. Considering my children were just completely dependent on me, they needed my support and care.

After spending just two years at PepsiCo parting with my role yet another time was not something I was prepared for. The life lessons learned here were, to plot personal time, setting boundaries and to avoid work FOMO (fear of missing), and accepting some days will be better than others. It was great to have the flexibility to work from home and the manager to understand my situation. The bigger decisions around what to keep & let go of are yours! My advice for the married partners is that life is a long journey with twists, turns, highs & lows. We must learn to continue our journeys together not focus on just living them individually. Since it takes a village to be successful, we must be that village to somebody else too. We must know to pay it forward and show others how so! The exciting news is that there are numerous organizations now working towards ensuring there is more flexibility for working parents. The Mom Project collaborates closely with organizations designing and supporting better workplaces so that women don’t have to choose between their families and successful careers.

I have taken two sabbatical leave and relocated twice, every time this happens there is a shift in confidence, feeling whether it would be the end of my career or whether I will have to start all over again. What helped me during this process is staying connected with former colleagues, college alumni services and information sessions which magically transformed my engagement, not just in corporate but also in my community. Your experience is unique to you hence continue to skill up & tap the untapped potential in you. Looking back, I realize the blessing I’ve had, has been in the form of mentorship, advice, and guidance. It makes me strong, to be that person for myself and for people who look up to me.

My message to all the mothers out there is that learning, networking, and relationship building are the key. It is also very crucial in today's world that you are kind to yourself & aware of the community around you. The quicker you learn to adapt to newer circumstances or changes in the organization or the world around you the better it is. 2020 Covid 19, Pandemic days changed many of our lives, routines, and way of living, we moved continents and changed jobs, the learning process continues. As you empower yourself, the possibility of you becoming more influential allows you to take the lead in showing other’s the path.

'One for each', approach helps build a network that can be expanded and I am optimistic to this sky is the limit!

We are proud to say that our team of SJiT Recruitment Consultants is on a venture that focuses on bringing more women to work. We train and develop them to emerge as the country's best talents and we believe in supporting the next generation. For job assistance contact us today. HR@sjit.live, www.sjit.co.in, follow our page