Here is How Mythili returned to work with VMinclusion Taara and her husband’s support
Mythili, is a technology professional, a young mother, wife, and a VMinclusion Taara graduate. This is her story of returning to the workforce as narrated by her biggest cheerleader and ally- her supportive husband.
Four years ago, I saw my wife, Mythili take a life-altering decision and bid goodbye to her bright and promising career after the birth of our child. Honestly, we both wanted to be with our newborn, and we promised ourselves that we would work towards being the best parents for our child. While we had and will continue to have a marriage of equals with shared responsibilities, Mythili found joy in motherhood and in the upbringing of our little one. She decided to prioritize that part of her life for a bit.
My wife was a doting, and if I may say so, a perfect mother. Our life was perfect except for one thing. I could not forget that Mythili was once an ambitious career woman who has a thriving career at a product services company in Pune delivering open and robust private cloud solutions. Her selflessness inspired me, but I was astounded by how a women’s career can take a backseat after motherhood or sometimes even after marriage. And after a few years when Mythili was ready to restart her career, I realized just how difficult the process of re-entry could be. As per a report by The Centre for Talent Innovation, approximately 36 % of Indian women take a break from work and while 91% of them want to restart their careers at some point, almost 40–45% are not able to do so due to the lack of opportunities. Mythili was now one of them as she faced a similar situation. Desperate measures often force women to take up any available job at times, outside of their domain, field or sector, and as my wife looked to restart her career, she did find a job, but it wasn’t her field of interest or choice.
Mythili also realized that in the time that she had been absent from the industry, the technology landscape had evolved significantly with the emergence of new disruptive tech trends. She realized she would need to upskill and refresh her skillsets in order to be ready and at par with the industry requirements and skills. She was not alone in this belief; 86% of women who return to work after a break believe that programs focused on upskilling and mentorship are key to overcoming re-entry challenges. Call it destiny, luck or perfect timing in 2018, my wife attended the Grace Hopper Celebration India (GHCI) where she learned about VMinclusion Taara, a unique return to work program from VMware that aimed to upskill women on career breaks to help them restart their careers. VMinclusion Taara promises to upskill and training 15,000 women, making it one of the biggest initiatives for women on a break. Needless to say, this proved to be the turning point Mythili was looking for.
The program was a perfect start and it felt like it was tailored for her skills and needs. It offered online upskilling and certification programs in the latest digital technologies including Datacenter Virtualization, Cloud Management & Automation, Networking & Security, and Digital Workspace. The best part about the program is that It is a self-paced learning program, and Mythili could study according to her convenience, comfort and work around her schedules. And there was no dearth of practical “hands-on experience”, dialogue and networking. The program included briefings & QA webinars, on-demand content, hands-on labs, live online instructor-led classes, and even a social platform to meet more women striving to upskill, which was great because it helped Mythili feel less alone.
Mythili is now working with a multinational product firm and chasing her professional dreams once again. She says, “Taara is the reason I smile more, it’s instilled a new sense of confidence within me”. I genuinely believe that women hold our society together and to stop them from chasing their dreams is nothing short of robbing them of their dreams. Societal change, gender role reversals, and true inclusivity will take time to take root, but it is crucial for each one of us to drive the change in our own lives. For my part, I am happy to see my wife happy and I will continue to support every dream and every path she chooses to follow.
I would urge every spouse to learn more about VMinclusion Taara at www.vmware.com/taara and encourage their better halves to think about enrolling for the same. Women away from the workforce cost the economy $770 billion- more than 18%- to its GDP by 2025 according to Mckinsey Institute’s study and more importantly result in a lopsided workforce in the IT industry. In conclusion, I would like to say that VMinclusion Taara gave Mythili the wings to restart her career and it can help many other women on career breaks.
