I left my job as my husband’s work required constant travel. Virtual internships helped me build a career across different cities.
About the Author: Pallavi Bhaskar is a homemaker who left her job to live with her husband in the same city. She shares how virtual internships helped her manage her career and family efficiently!
Honestly, I had never thought that I would be actively looking out for internships at the age of 30! I’m an outgoing, independent, and cheerful person with a perpetual love for traveling and food. I completed my post-graduation in biotechnology from Bangalore. After many interviews, I finally landed a job in Deluxe Digicaptions. Although the profile I was selected for (client lead) had nothing to do with biotechnology, I was really excited about getting a job! The projects revolved around manual testing and I learned a great deal, not just about work but life in general. I also became more responsible and was happy I could pitch in with the expenses at home. I took pride in the fact that I was proving the whole ideology of girls being a burden, wrong.
So, when it was time for me to get married, I was filled with apprehension, having heard many stories from other married women. Would I be able to work? Would I even have the choice to decide whether I wanted to work or not? Would I be able to manage both work and my new responsibilities? I knew I wasn’t ready and told my parents to give me some time and that I would tell them when I was ready. Alas, this ‘some time’ turned out to be many years! The more I worked, the more I fell in love with the independence and the satisfaction that came with the job. When I finally did say yes (much to my parents’ relief), it was to a man who works for the Government of India and whose job requires constant travel. Luckily for me, he happened to be a very understanding person who was fine if I did not want to leave everything and trail him around the country. My in-laws were also supportive and encouraged me to work!
Thus began our long-distance marriage. I stayed back in Bangalore and continued with my job, while my husband continued his in the northeast India. After a year’s separation, when my husband’s job brought him to Hyderabad, I decided to go there with him. This, of course, meant I had to leave my very stable job; however, there were a lot of job opportunities in Hyderabad. I started my job hunt as soon as we were in Hyderabad. After 2 months, however, I still had no job. Having worked continuously for 5 and half years, that 2-month break was somehow not as relaxing as I had imagined it would be. I started losing my confidence and feared that I was probably not good enough for any job.
While looking at various job portals, I happened to stumble upon Internshala. As I had never heard about this website before, I decided to explore it. I realized that it was an internship portal, but I found assorted internship options which intrigued me. For the most part of my life, I had been surrounded by creative people whereas I stuck out like a sore thumb with no special talent to put on the table. So, I decided to take the plunge and try my hand at diverse jobs that I had always wanted to do. Through Internshala, I now had opportunities to work from home or choose an internship which required me to work in the office for only a brief period as per my availability. It truly became “my life, my choice” experience! I could try new things and hopefully make a career out of it, without living far away from my family.
I started applying in various fields and was first hired by Empower Labs, but due to the commute distance, I was unable to pursue it. Then, I started applying to internships in the field of writing and digital marketing. A lot of these companies were started by extremely talented youngsters, fresh out of college with bright ideas. I remember in one of the interviews, I was asked why I was looking for an internship after 5 years of work experience. I simply replied that learning never comes with an expiration date! Soon, I got hired for a content writing internship at Weekend Thrill. My job was to write short articles related to travel and tourism. That I kept traveling with my husband as his job locations changed, further helped me in this! Soon, I was also hired as a video curator intern at Venera Technologies Private Limited. The Venera team was very patient with my questions, gave me constant feedback, and I enjoyed the work immensely! A few weeks later, when I saw my name on their website as one of the notable curators, I was ecstatic!
In the end, I would just say that in this ever-growing world, there is no dearth of knowledge. You are never too young or too old to learn something new! Irrespective of whether you are a school student, college student, or a housewife, don’t let your age or the circumstances stop you from uncovering the best in you. Don’t waste precious time to second-guessing and self-doubt; just go ahead and take a leap of faith!
Are you also unsure about (re)starting your career after marriage? Apply to these internships for women and balance your career and family effectively!
