I
am writing this write up at the behest of Sripriya whom I recently met and was
immediately inspired by her unrelenting energy levels. The first thought
that came to me was if I were to write my career story will it be interesting –
whether or not for others - will I enjoy reading it and I leave it to you
to decide. And I hope there is a small bit of motivation especially for
those of you women CA’s in alien lands and trying to start all over again !
I
got a job almost immediately after I got the results of my CA final
exams. I joined ITC-Bhadrachalam Paperboards in Secunderabad. The
learning curve in ITC was steep and having no other family responsibilities, it
was easy to shoulder work responsibilities, travel and enjoy the work.
My
second stint was with Pricewaterhouse, my post marriage job which was enormous
not just in terms of learning but the work load too! I moved to a
lighter job for a few months only to eventually move to Bahrain where my better
half moved on a new job.
I
did not work for a few months but eventually got a job in Ernst & Young.
After so many moves and breaks, I was not sure if I was wanted any more.
A baby happened shortly thereafter
Fifteen
months and a heavenly crèche facility later, I realized that even though I was
enjoying my motherhood, there was something missing and it was time to get back
to work life. I just could not stay away from numbers! But little did I realize
that any breaks in the career will mean starting from scratch. And a real
scratch it was for I had to start all over from the beginning
But
I recalled what I read many years back, what the caterpillar calls the end of
the world, the master calls it a butterfly. I decided to be the bufferfly and
the restart was painful and difficult. The money was no motivation as the
spouse was well settled. But as I look back today, I am glad that I took
the decision to get back to work again.
It
was at first difficult, with no real support in a different country but I stuck
to the grind of getting back to work with able support from my husband and my
little son. I believe that at whatever stage, learning should never stop.
To this end, I would take stock on a yearly basis where I stand, personally and
professionally. Have I progressed or am just standing where I was before.
Even though, I preferred to spend more time with my son at every given
opportunity, I thought I should also get back to studying. I did my IFRS
Diploma and also a Post Graduate Certificate course in International Management
with a reputed online UK university.
And
today, I work with a private organisation and am very contented with work life
balance (sometimes the imbalance is exciting too !). I enjoy going to work
every day. The people and the environment are simply great and that supports my
personal life too.
At
the end of the day I think we have to run own race, make our own choices and
constant question should be “Am I progressing?”. If the answer you hear is
“yes” you are on the right path, if the answer is no, then life always allows
the proverbial U-turns to start all over again. I believe that life
gives you many choices, it is up to us to take the ones which we wish to live
with.
So
far the story has been an enjoyable one for me, but am looking forward to
writing a sequel which I am hoping will be even more enjoyable.
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