Supraja is All Set to Restart her Career after a 7-year break. Here is How She Did It!

Supraja Garlapati had every intention of restarting her career but it seemed like a steep mountain to climb, given that she had a 7-year career gap. When the going got tough, VMinclusion Taara allowed her to upskill in the latest technologies. Here is Supraja’s story, a story of determination and foresight.

My four-year-long career was short, but I loved every second of it. For reasons beyond my control I had to take a break, and before I knew it, that break got extended for more than seven years. I loved the time I spent with my family, but I had to admit there was a void in my life where my career used to be. There was no denying that I missed working, missed colleagues, the challenges, and the wins. I missed being financially independent and having a life and an identity of my own.

But restarting my career after all this time, I knew would be an uphill struggle. I no longer knew how to work with all the new technologies that had disrupted the sector significantly. I knew I had to upskill but didn’t know where to start. Around the same time, my husband who works at Dell Technologies told me about VMinclusion Taara from VMware, a unique program that was offering women like me the opportunity to upskill and restart our careers. Two things about the program appealed to me — 1) that it offered certification courses in new and leading technologies like cloud, network virtualization, digital workspaces, and more and 2) that the courses were available online and were self-paced so I could access them and learn at my convenience. I signed up for the course immediately and thus began my learning journey.

I was enjoying learning and upskilling with VMinclusion Taara and my life had fallen into a comfortable schedule that accommodated my personal responsibilities as well as my learning time. But the ongoing healthcare situation disrupted everything. Suddenly, the whole family was home all the time, the hired help was inaccessible, and my domestic responsibilities just doubled. But I knew I had to continue with my learning journey despite the circumstances. The situation was far from ideal, and it was easy to get caught up in the extra work at home and postpone the learning. But I was sure that I was preparing for the time when the world would emerge from this situation. Because make no mistake about it, we will emerge stronger. And the world will be a different place. Even six months ago we couldn’t have imagined a world where so many people worked from home and yet today remote working is the new normal. Many organizations have already said that they would like to move a part of their workforce to a permanently remote working model and I expect many others to follow suit. There is no doubt that the global pandemic has created wide-reaching implications for diverse sectors, and it is evident that a sound digital infrastructure was and will continue to be an essential factor for business continuity. In a post-COVID future, millions of newly graduated talent or people seeking to restart their careers will have to realign their skills to adapt to the changing technological landscape.

Even without the current pandemic, I firmly believe that upskilling is the key to long-term career growth, especially in a field as dynamic as technology where the pace of disruption is accelerating at an incredible rate. According to a study by SHRM’s Skill gap Research, 75% of HR professionals feel candidates lack adequate skills for job openings. And another report says at least 54% of employees will need reskilling and upskilling by the end of the year 2022. For women like me, being away from the field puts us at a disadvantage because we are not aware of the changes happening within the sector. Being unemployed we also don’t have access to employer-mandated training. As a result, when we try to restart our careers, potential employers are not inclined to hire us as there are other candidates with more up to date skills are vying for the same jobs.

I told myself that I could not control the situation outside, but I could control my own life and use this time for self-improvement by learning. I created a new “lockdown” schedule. I set aside time for each activity such as cooking, cleaning, yoga, and learning. I started waking up earlier to complete all major household work and my family chipped in to help as well. This left me with enough time to continue learning with VMinclusion Taara. I set myself some learning targets and worked towards achieving them. Now, I am a Level 3 graduate, and this has instilled a new confidence in me. Eventually, when I do find my dream job, I want to look back and see the ways Taara has redefined my professional career.

I feel lucky to be living at a time when most organizations have realized the importance of having a diverse and inclusive workforce. The sudden shift and emergence of remote or hybrid modes of working have brought a sea change of opportunities in the world. As a woman, I know I can bring a unique perspective to the table if given a chance. And VMinclusion Taara’s upskilling program is my way back to that table. It may seem difficult to make the time right now, but I know I have to. Because I know that Learning new technologies can give my career a new lease of life and make me ready to hit the ground running when job markets open up and the economy improves. To all the women trying to make their way back into the workforce, I say this — this time you have now is the best time for you to upskill and prepare to return to work. The market has changed since you took a break and your old skills are not enough. As Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” so go out there and seize the opportunity to upskill with VMinclusion Taara. I can’t be more thankful to the team of Taara for being my strongest support, giving me the opportunity to interact with other Taara graduates on social media platforms. I can’t imagine a better start than this and I hope more women join VMinclusion Taara to rediscover their professional ambitions.