This Young Mother Restarted Her Tech Career By Upskilling Herself And So Can You!
Roopa Pai is on her upskilling journey with VMware’s VMinclusion Taara and has found a job already. Roopa Pai is at Level 2 of the program and here’s her piece of advice for other women
The start of a new year is always exhilarating as one embraces change and looks forward to a new future. Despite the given fact how 2020 turned out, it was a new beginning for me. 2020 was extra special. I promised myself that this year I would give my career a second chance. It was time to dig out all the little dreams that had taken a backseat over the years and give them a fresh lease of life.
I gave up my career to look after my newborn baby. I became a stay at home mother because I believed and still do that those early years were crucial for both the baby and the parents. I am happy I did because I can’t imagine missing all those precious first moments of my baby’s life. But five years of being away from the workplace and being a stay at home mother left me feeling like something important was missing from my life. Technology had always been my first love. Prior to my break, I was a Senior Software Analyst at Hewlett Packard, where I was a part of a private cloud team working on Virtualization and Cloud computing technologies. I loved the fact that the technology sector was so dynamic with new trends emerging every day to challenge the status quo. But after five years away from the field, I was no longer clued in with the latest developments in technology and my skills were outdated. I realized this as soon as I started attending interviews in a bid to restart my career. The rapid advancement of technology had left me behind and I needed to focus on making up for the lost time.
I decided to spend some time on training and upskilling before I tried to get back to work. But figuring out which upskilling program was right for my specific requirements was a challenge and my utmost priority. I must say I found my answer quite unexpectedly. I was trying my luck at yet another interview when my interviewer suggested I enroll with VMinclusion Taara and upskill in the latest digital transformation technologies. That was the first step on my journey back into the workforce. The Interviewer explained that VMinclusion Taara was a return-to-work program by VMware that aimed to address the very issue of outdated skillsets that I was facing. I registered for the program on the same day.
After enrolling I established a new regimen that included setting aside some time for learning. The fact that the VMinclusion Taara courses were all online and self-paced made my life so much easier. I did not need to disrupt my schedule; I would complete all my domestic responsibilities and focus on the most intriguing and engaging learning modules. Of course, the outbreak of the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown wreaked havoc on my schedule initially. But soon enough, even the lockdown life began to fall into a routine, and I was able to put a new schedule in place. I decided to spend less time on social media and exited time-consuming WhatsApp groups. I found that this helped me focus better on the task at hand. My day began with cooking simple healthy meals for my family and finishing my daily chores, after which I spent about 4 hours studying. My family’s support and help made it easier for me to stick to this routine and focus on studying even during these difficult times.
I am currently on the second level of VMinclusion Taara’s certification and training program. With a steady head, now I’m focused on completing the course, and even as I updated my profile, calls from recruiters started pouring in.
Gladly I have already started working with a reputed MNC firm which is a world leader in networking. I can say with certainty that the upskilling helped me get back into the workforce on an even footing with the rest of my peers. And I am more determined than ever to continue and complete my certification in Network Virtualization. One of the key reasons for me to make sure I complete the module is because I am confident that this will open new opportunities and fast track my career. I always had faith and confidence in my abilities but with Taara, I was able to supplement my abilities with the right skillsets and land the job of my dreams. It’s a proud moment for me and I firmly believe that upskilling is a game-changer, especially in a fast-evolving digital world.
My advice for those women who aspire to return to work would be to consider upskilling. It could be the most significant step towards finding your dream job. You are not alone; young mothers often extend their maternity break to get accustomed to their new responsibilities. But even those experiences bring out your hidden skills and teach you so much. Organizations today are beginning to recognize these diverse experiences that you will bring in. Have faith, be positive, be proactive, and spend time on upskilling before re-entering the workforce. Earning a certification can speed up the return to work process and give you an edge over the competition. Some of you may wonder if the current situation is going to dim your chances at finding a job, my advice to them is that the future is digital and needs people with updated skillsets to power it. Now is the time for you to prepare for this new future by investing time in upskilling, and VMware’s VMinclusion Taara is the perfect place to start.
