Changing Career Paths: A Developer’s journey towards Supply Chain Management

After my engineering course, I joined an MNC company as a Developer. But, I had no interest in coding or pursuing the same field. I was always inclined towards management roles. Even in college, I’d manage my dance team and other small clubs. Unhappy with my work life, I was trying to get into a different field.

A couple of my friends worked at Ninjacart. It was a startup that gave the freedom to explore different roles. I jumped at the opportunity to finally be able to change my career path. I joined Ninjacart in May 2016 with a clean slate and the determination to learn something new.

On my first day, I was asked to go to the market at 4 am every day. It was a complete shift in environment for me — from working in an AC room to walking around a busy market for hours. But, I loved what I did; I had the opportunity to understand every aspect of the business.

Three months later, I switched from Sourcing to Operations and went on field to understand the ground reality. I’d work long hours in the warehouses and devise operations strategies to figure out a working model based on trial and error methods.

A year later, the Supply Chain Head appreciated my performance and asked to join her team. I’ve been working in the Supply Chain department for 3.5 years and been a part of multiple model changes. I even built the Nerve Centre from scratch, which has a complete understanding of the Supply Chain.

I was part of every important discussion with my mentor, who is the Supply Chain head, which made me feel like I was a part of the core team. Working alongside her has helped me learn and grow. Since I joined, each quarter has been transformative for my career. When a small idea of mine is implemented in the company and creates an impact on the society, it’s truly a great feeling. This drives me to work harder, every day.

Four months ago, I asked my mentor if I could go on ground again to handle Operations. She sent me to Hyderabad and I became the city’s Operations Head and handled a 170-member team, which was an entirely new experience for me. Currently, I am back in the corporate office leading the planning team.

My team at Ninjacart is like a second family to me. In the beginning, my parents were skeptical about me working at a startup, but by looking at my success today they’re proud of the decision I made. My mentor and the founders have always pushed me towards achieving new things which has helped me realize my potential. I am ready to take on new challenges and look forward to more growth in my future.

Narrated by V Sujith Kumar, Associate Supply Chain Planning