1 Weekly Hour That Transformed My Career to Success
I was in the plane flying from Montreal, QC to Plano, TX. I was sitting by the window, watching the clouds, and imagining my trip; not only to Texas but my rewarding career journey to becoming a mainframer.
A hot Texas summer day; I was invited to the city of Plano where I had the honor to be one of the speakers at the Broadcom Mainframe Technical Exchange (MTE) conference. Not just any general session — the opening keynote, “Going Bigger Together!” While checking in, I was thrilled to discover a very important person. She made me feel so wanted; the energy around me was electric. With a sweet welcoming smile, she said, “Shiva! It has been a year since we first met. How wonderful to have you here.” It was her! My beloved MENTOR.
For telling you why I was very delighted to meet her in person in Texas, I open up a story that acted as a trigger for our mentor-mentee relationship.
One Year Before My Trip to MTE, Texas…
By then, I had been working at a Canadian governmental agency as a Mainframe Software Developer & IDMS Analyst for two years. My early morning work day recipe was this: Exercising for 15 minutes, enjoying a cup of English tea with some honey inside, and having a focus minute to myself before looking at my calendar to prepare for my day at work.
My job was feeding me with joy because I never finished a day without learning things about the mainframe. What pleased me the most was our productive teamwork projects. I also had a mentor whose expertise in high level technical mainframe systems transactions support was excellent. He was guiding me from A to Z; our central system “architectural analysis” to “zOS ” mainframe environment. I was loving my job and everything about it. It was great up until the last organizational update, which seemed to limit my career growth opportunities considerably. I had to plan for a job change. I knew my career goals. The reasons I had for making a change were also clear to me, but still I was uncertain about changing my job.
Switching my job could involve a variety of changes in my professional life, not limited to only changing companies. As a young professional, I successfully had passed all those interviews that ultimately led to me working for the government. It was hard to ignore that I had a highly secure position, especially post-Covid with many lay-offs going on. I couldn’t easily go work somewhere else.
I felt like I needed a hand to help me step up and expand my growth. Stepping beyond my comfort zone was essential for my career progression and personal development. The ideal was to talk with an expert. How about my program mentor at work? Not that I could not ask for his advice. I was uncomfortable having a conversation with him about “the future of my job”.
What I did next was take some time off work, book a flight, and headed to the SHARE conference in Columbus, OH.
Why Go to SHARE, Columbus, OH?
Its name said it all! SHARE was an event with plenty of chances to meet with the mainframe community. It gave me and other mainframers access to the latest enterprise IT news and software product highlights on emerging technologies. I attended a number of technical sessions and engaged in knowledge exchange with subject matter experts. Not to forget that I had lots of fun during lunch & learn gatherings!
Not only did showing up at SHARE support me in building up my skillset, but it also gave me more clarity on what my next job could look like.
A Short Talk with Big Impact at SHARE…
I took the chance to talk with two successful women, the Directors of Mainframe Software Programs at Broadcom. I was following their news on LinkedIn because I was fan of their path. “As I was detailing my job, I discussed my next career move and its potential for advancement. I also shared my uncertainty about finalizing my plan. They exchanged looks and then asked, ‘Do you have a mentor?’ I replied, ‘Yes, I do have a mentor in my organization who offers me great insight into mainframe technology.’ ‘Not just a technical mentor,’ they responded with a smile. ‘You also need someone who can show you the other side — a person to talk with and help mentor you from a career perspective.’”
After making sure that our contact info is up-to-date, they said that I’ll be contacted by someone who may be available for taking me as her mentee. Guess what? I already knew her from our “Women in Mainframe Circle” that was holding virtual meetings every last Friday of the month. Woohoo! Another advantage of being engaged in the mainframe community!
“Not just a technical mentor. You also need somebody who can show you the other side — a person to talk with and help mentor you from a career perspective”
That night in the hotel all I thought was about “the other side”. It had never been brought to my attention that I could have different mentors at the same time to guide my decisions and form my plans in the right direction. Indeed, to the other side.
One Step Toward The Other Side…
A few days after SHARE Ohio, I got an email from my new mentor. She was happy that I attended SHARE and continued her eagerness to meet with me and talk further about my career goals as well as any current challenges or opportunities. She was a Technical Customer Events Program Manager in the Broadcom Mainframe Software Division. She asked for my next month availabilities as she was currently managing a big event in Prague. “Let me know what you are hoping to achieve from these meetings and we can chat about how to best move forward,” She added. With respect for her time, I followed up promptly and thoughtfully followed her instruction. She was making herself available for me while leading a big technical event. That meant a lot to me.
1 Weekly Hour That Bounced Me To The Other Side…
The experience with my new mentor was an eye opener. In our calls, I was describing my achievements or any challenges I had, so she was able to visualize the state I was in and advised me on how to improve. I worked with her very efficiently. For instance, I ensured thorough preparation for our meetings by dedicating an hour each week to documenting my goals and expectations in a notebook titled ‘Shiva’s Career Perspective.’ This practice helped me prioritize objectives and set clear intentions before our discussions.
I remember once I had the word ‘Feedback’ in my notebook. It was to share with her that the top managers admired my performance for reducing the timing of our Database Management Systems Optimization project by half. She first congratulated me, then offered a helpful tip: “You could create a folder for gathering all those accomplishments or positive feedback, emails and letters from any of your coworkers. This way, you can easily access them later when updating your resume or preparing for an interview.”
Additionally, there were some general conversations we had about how I was feeling at work, which I couldn’t have with my best friend or program mentor at work. That made her mentorship more special to me. Her perspective addressed directly my needs, helping me make informed decisions and level up my personal development.
For almost a year, we were having virtual calls. Finally an opportunity came to meet her in person. Now you could guess why I was very excited when my flight landed in Texas.
The Success Coming Out Of The MTE, Plano, TX…
What I remember the most about my mentors is how these people I had in my life made me feel. It was everything, even more important than the advice and guidance they provided. I felt included, cared for and valued — that’s the things that lasts. This is what stays with me always.
As I said, my new mentor was a Technical Customer Events Program Manager in the Broadcom Software Division. She and her team were leading a great Mainframe Technical Exchange event in Plano.
She came to me on the other side of the big desk. I hugged her tightly. “Are you ready for the Opening session tomorrow?” she asked. “Ready but nervous!” I answered. She said that everything’s going to be perfect just try to be yourself and engage the audience by sharing your story. I thanked her again for all her support and came back to my room to prepare for tomorrow…
Thanks to her mentoring, I was better prepared for career growth opportunities at Broadcom MTE Plano compared to SHARE Columbus. I successfully expanded my network according to my planned criteria, minimized potential risks, and maintained clarity about my direction. While many more steps lay ahead on my journey to “the other side”, our mentor-mentee relationship helped me navigate through my career path.
Finally, it was time to sit with the Broadcom Mainframe Software Division’s SVP. True to my mentor’s foresight, my energy and enthusiasm overpowered my stress, enabling me to engage the audience effectively and deliver my message with clarity. Following the Opening Keynote Session- “Mainframe Going Bigger Together”, I received a lot of positive feedback validating my thoughts and further energizing my journey towards career success.
