From a lecturer to a data scientist – How I rebuilt my career after 11 years
About the Author: Manjula Joghee is a homemaker who left her job after getting married. She shares how she restarted her career after a gap of 11 years through internships.
I completed my B.E. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and started working as a lecturer at Erode Sengunthar Engineering College, Thudupathi. After two and half years of working there, I got married and shifted to the Netherlands with my husband, where I pursued masters in electrical engineering with a specialisation in telecommunications. I couldn’t look for a job at that time since I had to accompany my husband on his international assignments and raise my family. Time travelled fast and 11 years passed in looking after my husband and my two children; what remained was my will to restart my career. This span of time was rather enriching though as I got to experience various cultures and climates while living in Europe and Africa and learnt new languages as well. We finally moved to India in 2015 when my kids were old enough to go to school. I realised that I could get back to work again. My husband suggested that since I was anyway going to start afresh, I should consider making a career in emerging fields that had better employment opportunities. Data analytics was gaining popularity, so I decided to join a course named Analytics for Beginners in Jigsaw Academy. Next, I enrolled in the Business Analytics Certification by EduPristine and Dun & Bradstreet. I also did an R Programming course from Data Camp and Data Science & Modelling from Nikhil Analytics. Lastly, I took a course named Machine Learning with Python from AltSense to further update my knowledge and skills.
After completing these courses, I began my hunt for a job. Soon, I realised that these courses were not enough to get me a job since most organisations were looking to hire an experienced professional. I then decided to look for internships to improve my chances of getting hired. A bit of research took me to Internshala; I registered on the website and started applying for internships. I got shortlisted for an in-office internship at Brand Midas Hospitality and Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd. in 2017. The selection procedure involved resume screening and a personal interview, wherein I was asked questions related to the courses that I had pursued and my expectations from the internship. My responsibilities there included capturing data from various airports in operation, analysing the data as required by the management, disseminating data to the respective airports, preparing weekly reports, monitoring audits across various airports, and quality check.
After a few weeks into the internship, I realised that I wouldn’t be able to work full-time due to my commitments with my children. My employers were, however, quite understanding, and they let me manage my work timings as per my convenience. I would start work early and leave by the time my kids came back from school. I completed my internship there, and they were willing to offer me a job as well. However, due to my familial responsibilities, I couldn’t accept their offer. I decided to do a virtual internship as it would offer me a flexible work timing; I would get enough hours to look after my family along with the satisfaction of utilising my knowledge of data science.
I applied to a few more internships on Internshala and got shortlisted for The Campus Connect. They conducted a telephonic interview wherein they asked me a few technical questions regarding data analytics. Soon, I was hired. Here, I am involved in acquiring targeted data, sorting data, converting it into comprehensible trends, finding business applications of data, translating numbers into an understandable format, and helping companies make better business decisions. This internship gives me immense satisfaction in terms that I can work from the comfort of home as and when convenient for me.
I hope to continue doing internships until my children can take care of themselves and I have the luxury of taking up a full-time job. I’d like to thank Internshala for opening up a sea of opportunities, assuring me that I can restart my career without any age bar, and helping me gain a sense of self-worth.
Are you also looking to (re)start your career without compromising on your family’s needs? Then, register on Internshala and apply to these super cool internships for women of all ages.
