1. Name: Lakshmi
2. Career Break Duration: More than 10 years
3. Profession: IT (Software Tester)
4. Success story –
“Hi. My name is Lakshmi.
I started my career way back in 2007 when I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. I immediately joined Accenture Services Pvt Ltd, Chennai, where I worked as a Software Engineer in the testing domain. I worked there for about 2.5 years. I had to relocate from Chennai after my marriage, so I quit my job and moved to North India. I thought I would settle down there but after about 5 years, we came back to Chennai. By that time, I had 2 kids and I thought about returning to work, but my children were very young.
A few years later, I felt my kids were a little more independent, so I decided to re-join the workforce. I came across indePenn through social media and decided to send my resume there. The workshops at indePenn really helped me regain the confidence and figure out how I’d balance work and family. These workshops also gave me an understanding of the skills needed for the IT industry today. Rani helped me and said that I have a solid CV as a software tester, so I should try testing itself.
I had a career break for about 10 years, and coming back into IT required a lot of upskilling and confidence in technology. indePenn found me a Returnship in MVG Digital, a company that works in building applications using Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The Managing Director was very encouraging and motivating; he made it feel like I never had a career break at all. I‘m interested and passionate about learning, and I’m proud of myself because I never thought that I could do this. But definitely, indePenn has given me that confidence. I am really grateful to indePenn for the motivation and encouragement that Rani had given me. They never treated me like a person with a break.
I know there are many women out there who are trying to come out of their comfort zone and get back to doing something, to stand on their own feet after building a family, they want to contribute financially as well. So, they are also looking for companies like indePenn, which will be a great support for them. The break numbers are just going to be numbers only, and you only need to add the passion and interest to learn. Rani said I can even do some part-time jobs or some work-from-home jobs if I am not able to commute. Work from home has added a lot of questions in my mind regarding the timings and extended hours because, again, responsibilities are there from time to time for any family matters.
Rani and Rajani were very clear about this. Wherever you go, time planning and time management are essential, and reporting and communication is the key to success. All those workshops really made me understand what this work-from-home actually involves. That was one thing that I really have to mention here.
The second thing was balancing family and work. I actually did not inform my family for more than a year that I’m working because they would never take it in a positive way. If I said that I am returning to work, they would always ask who’s going to look after my kids and family. So, I just kept telling them that I am learning something and getting myself ready for work. But just a few months back, I finally informed my family that I am working. They were really happy and were appreciative of me that I could balance both family and work.
Thank you once again, indePenn!”
