From Behind the Microscope to the computer

I am unique, and my life will always be different from the others! This is what my father used to keep reminding me over the growing years.  So, by the time the H.S.C results were out, I had just knew I would  have a different career. Though my father expressed his desire to see me as a doctor, I chose the next best option. Microbiology! I chose it for the love of biology. I completed my B.Sc. in Microbiology, because B.Sc Botany,/Zoology etc sounded too mundane for me. ( I had to be different remember!).  By the end of the last year of graduation I decided that I was now passionate about teaching. So there would be my career, a teacher/professor in Microbiology. And as luck would have it I had my very first job offer, hand delivered to me by the director of a small pathology institute close to my house.

I was living my dream, teaching for a few hours in the institute, enjoying the respect and the gratitude the students showed. Earning enough to fill my pocket and help my dad in a teeny tiny way. Meanwhile I was preparing for the NET/SET exams one has to clear to get a job in college. It did not have a flying career that time, but it was very satisfying and made me happy. Excellent work life balance. I was a career woman, but still had ample time to pursue my girlish desires. Then came another turning point.

My guide from my college offered me a role as a research assistant for a small scale project in my college. Another skill I can master I thought, so yet again life saw my doing laboratory work, separating out the cells and growing them in petri dishes. Still not a flying career but an exciting one to say.

Then came the event every girl dreams of since the age of 18. I got married and took a break for 2 years. After the break I joined a pharmaceutical company as a trainer for medical representatives. I was now in the medicine world, without having to struggle through the MBBS years! I spent 5 years in that company and got to learn and handle various portfolios. I used to train people and in the spare time meet doctors, conduct camps, workshops, launch products, promote products and everything possible under the Pharma sun.  Besides following my passion of teaching I was also able to hone my presentation skills, communication skills, my dressing, my manners etc. I was as good as a finishing school for me.

Then one fine day, after my first kid was born I realized that I needed to have a job that would give me two days holidays in a week and a flexible working time. Yes! Unbelievable as it may sound, this was the reason that I started hunting for a job in IT. I floated resumes in company sites and started doing my research about what type of job I could land up with in IT. I did not have a management degree then, so knew that HR, RMG, Admin would be out of question. Training was the only option. And that is how I landed up in Cognizant. I got a mail from the then Academy head, then an interview and within a months’ time an offer letter. Though the offer was not even a 10% hike in my previous salary and my designation was a step lower than my previous company, I still decided to take it anyway, because my focus at that time was a weekend holiday and flexible hours.

Initially I had to struggle a lot. I did know the procedures and process that happen in Academy/ Training department as such, but in my previous company it was a manual job. Here I had to use applications, prepare reports using excel graphs (Oh My God!!). But, soon I just picked up the lingo and the jargon and life was smooth again. Different, but smooth.

When the first Life Sciences account in Pune ( Merck) took off, I approached the Senior Managers and expressed my wish to try and fit in some kind of a role in Merck.  So, I landed up in a role of a Subject Matter Expert. I was happy that I could use my skills now. I conducted trainings on varied topics right from Pharma industry to quality to communication skills to team building. Simultaneously I was pursing my part time Diploma in International Business, so I could also hone my management skills.  My manager in Bipin Ranade gave my an opportunity to go to Shanghai and conduct training for the associates there. Another experience, no one from Microbiology would think of( unless they pass GRE etc, but that too is US! China is different! Remember I am different!)

I soon saw my L1 stamped and was lucky to get a chance to work at onsite. A completely different profile. Somehow I was now the Quality coach for Merck projects at onsite. For my client interview I had to learn all the SDLC terms, terminology the ins and outs of the Life Cycle and quality.  I had the opportunity to be present during an FDA audit and have worked hand in hand with the authorities to sort defects and track them to closure. At onsite too I did have to struggle initially but then I picked up and started enjoying my role and job. I proved my capability in a completely unknown territory and thus brought the project offshore.

That is why instead of getting released from Merck, I was put in to an Operations role. I was now a Merck PMO. Again an exciting turn in my career. I was now handling, metrics, SO, on boarding, resourcing, off boarding, extracting weekly and monthly reports, updating portals, compiling and reviewing the billing sheets and the list goes on.

Soon, another domain heavy project came up and I was pulled in to the LS CoE, where I currently am.

Here too it has been an exciting experience, where I have worked as  data validation and verification expert for a clinical data management project.  Currently I am in a lead role( had never been in one before. It was always a niche role, so this is an exciting new role too). I am now learning and discovering my leadership skills. I know I have to struggle since this is a new path for me, but I also know that there is success waiting just round the corner.

Many of my friends in and out of it envy me because I have never got a monotonous boring phase of career. It has always been different, unique and exciting. There are a lot of periods where I had to struggle to hold my grounds and I have fallen badly many times. But, I never let that affect my spirit of trying to explore something new. Some different angle, unexplored potential.