Passion, Clarity, Determination - Jyoti Sham's Restart Story
- Kaajal Ahuja
- in
- Restarter Stories
- |
- 19 Jul 2016
When Jyoti Sham called me last week, her enthusiasm to get her restart story out there, bowled me over! She said she wanted to rekindle that flame of passion in all the women on a career break through her story!
So, I thought to myself, matters would take their tardy routine course before I could even begin framing her story. Hell was I wrong! Within a day, Jyoti furnished me with every single detail I’d asked for, to tell her story the way it is: Bold & Beautiful!
Allow me the pleasure of walking you through it…
Soon after her graduation, Jyoti began working for Bharat Bijlee in their elevator division. She was with them for a year and a half, during which she also walked down the aisle.
Later, she went onto join i2 Technologies as a Data Consulting Engineer, which proved to be her foray into main stream Information Technology.
A good 3 years went by, after which Jyoti stepped down from it all, when she was almost 7 months pregnant. This was also the time her husband relocated to Singapore for an onsite assignment.
Jyoti delivered a girl, and joined her husband in Singapore once the baby was 3 months old. She chose to stay home and nourish the growing years of her daughter, as her husband was away for most part of the day. Jyoti says that had she been in India, her mother, who has been her pillar of support, would’ve most contentedly watched over her daughter, whilst Jyoti pursued her dreams of a flourishing career.
Five and a half years went by.
Her husband’s assignment was near completion, when they decided to move back to their motherland, to be able to care for the elders of the family and build their own house alongside.
Upon returning, Jyoti got onto Facebook to reconnect with her bosom buddies. Watching her friends going places was all too alluring and wooed her back towards a restart.
Her girl, too, was little no more. Whilst she was going to school, she was also becoming independent and managing herself well.
Jyoti had every reason to get back! The foremost one, being her own longing to reestablish her place where she had always belonged.
She was transparent on what she wanted to return to. It was either a full time role, or nothing. It was either a prestigious position or firm, or nothing! There were no ‘in-betweens’.
She was blessed to have an incredible network of friends who not only kept her confidence levels elevated, but also helped her create a cracking resume and run through mock interviews! [This, if I may add, is key to one landing an interview.]
She straightaway applied to the bigwigs of the IT industry.
Over the next 6 months, even though she was called for numerous interviews, Jyoti found it daunting to break through the inhibitions companies had about her break. And she certainly didn’t fancy the fact that they were questioning her credibility on account of her reasons for the break!
All things in good time.
Destiny then had her cross paths with Tesco. Jyoti couldn’t get past the ease & comfort with which her interviewer took her through the interview. He was willing to focus on her skills, product knowledge, and readiness for the job, rather than the negativity built around a ‘gap’! Before she knew it, Jyoti bagged the job. She makes a special mention about their tagline which is ‘’Every Little Helps!’’
Only six months had gone past, when her friends excitedly called her one day, and asked her to come on board for a small, but inspiring collaboration they had in mind. While Jyoti was still contemplating the move, her friends were convinced that she was a perfect fit for the profile and wouldn’t take no for an answer!
The next five years that Jyoti spent with them as a Test Manager under the brand name of Cosmonet Solutions, are to date some of the most memorable years of her life. ‘’It was just like an induction for me, replete with all that I needed to hone my skill sets for a bigger platform!’’ she shares. Cosmonet Solutions is an IT business solutions and service provider.
Today, Jyoti is a Senior Project Manager at Bosch.
She joined them in the year 2012 and has absolutely loved her journey so far. She was delighted when the interviewers willingly put her break aside and brought her on board with open arms!
‘’Having a growing daughter watch her mother go to work, is a huge influence on her upbringing because it shows her the zillion possibilities of being woman! Thanks to factors like family support and the domestic help we have in India, such options are easy to work out.’’
Her words of advice to all women reading this are:
‘’Never regret your decisions; never doubt yourself. Have faith and things will happen at the right time. In view of changing trends, companies are now widening their horizons to sabbaticals, part-time, and work-from-home options, which is brilliant! ’’
Jyothi is the daughter of an army officer who was exposed early in life to diverse cultures, make-shift schools, and homes. This experience went a long way in making her a highly confident and adaptable person which as we all may have seen played a huge role in getting her where she is today, both personally and professionally.
While in hibernation mode from the corporate world, she discovered the joy of homemaking, baking, photo shooting the million expressions and milestones of her baby, whilst also discovering a new place with its people.
''A homemaker’s role can be so fulfilling. Every phase is so beautiful and what we may call insignificant nothings, actually leave us with memories for a lifetime.''
Jyoti Sham is a graduate in electronic and electrical engineering. She has worked at Bharat Bijlee, i2 Technologies, Tesco & Cosmonet Solutions in the past. She is currently with Bosch as a Senior Manager. Jyoti is married and a buoyant mother to a 15-year-old daughter.
If Jyoti's infectious energy has rubbed off on you too, then you can find us on JobsForHer with a zillion opportunities awaiting you! Simply create a profile with your resume, and apply to the roles that appeal to you!
About the Writer:
Kaajal Ahuja is a commerce graduate, who worked in the field of Customer Support first at HDFC Bank, and then at Dell International. During her 11-year career break, she spent four years volunteering as a Teacher at a government-run educational institution and also ran her own enterprise – ‘Hey Gorgeous’ – alongside, for 8 years. It was during her break that she discovered her love for writing, and is now back, working part-time as a Senior Content Writer at JobsForHer. She is married and is an upbeat mommy to a 13-year-old.