Saturday, April 25, 2015

WOMAN SPECIAL ...................The Mid-Career Re-Skillers

The Mid-Career Re-Skillers


Even though their path is strewn with challenges, more women professionals have been signing up for executive MBA programmes over the past year, juggling personal, social and professional commitments. Four women professionals share their experience

Sacrifice and Support
YOGINI RAJENDRA GOSAVI, 41
General Manager -Business Controls for Power Generation, Cummins
Gosavi is pursuing an executive MBA (EMBA) at SP Jain Institute of Management Research. She feels that in an attempt to balance social and professional roles or demands, women turn into superhumans. She learnt early that a clear demarcation of the emotional and professional space is essential.
THE RE-SKILLING PUSH
“By nature a woman is a multitasker, a born manager. I asked myself, `Why not get professionally trained for the same',“ says Gosavi, who gets excited by situations that put her out of her comfort zone. After more than 15 years of experience in audit firms, the service and manufacturing industries, at some points of time, Gosavi started feeling stagnant.She wanted to keep learning and that is when she opted for an executive MBA. She hopes to develop skills in situational leadership that can immediately be applied at work.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Before enrolling for the programme, Gosavi ensured her family knew exactly what changes lay ahead for them.
Also, Cummins is a professional organisation, which believes in developing leaders and respecting individual needs, she says. “At times, you need to fulfill office commitments after class, since 10 days is a long period to be away from work. But colleagues are very supportive,“ she says. Gosavi says despite full support from family, at times it is tough to make time for studies.
“Application of the concepts learned in classroom sessions is the real learning for me. There is no gain without pain. With this logic and a small sacrifice of my personal time, I can balance studies with work.“

Multiple Roles
PAYAL AGARWAL, 27
Former Lead Onsite Coordinator, Espire Infolabs
Former Lead Onsite Coordinator, Agarwal, who is pursuing an executive MBA at ISB, has handled multiple responsibilities in Infosys and Espire and done an acting stint for short Bengali and Hindi films screened at international film festivals.
THE RE-SKILLING PUSH
While working as an engineer, Agarwal got a few opportunities to prepare Espire Infolabs business cases and present proposals to prospective clients. It was then that she realised her liking for this role, and she wanted to move into a career with increased managerial responsibility and business development.
Salary growth was another motivator to take up an MBA programme. Having had no association with either economics or finance, she wanted to learn more in both the fields.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Agarwal says she received encouragement from her family and senior managers to pursue her career goals.
“My family has given me the freedom to make career choices and cultivate my passion. They have stood beside me through thick and thin.“

Time Management is a Plus
SANU VISHAL KAPOOR, 44
Company Secretary and DGM Legal with Otis Elevator (India)
Kapoor, who is pursuing an EMBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai says her passion for studies led her to sign up for an EMBA after 21 years in the manufacturing, advertising, retail, pharmaceutical, infrastructure sectors.She has expertise in handling corporate legal, secretarial and financial matters.
THE RE-SKILLING PUSH
A re-skilling programme at this stage in her career will give her more insights into corporate practices coupled with a strong alumni network, she says. This will enhance her skills and knowledge to be part of the top management, besides helping in peer group learning and networking with classmates from varied academic and industry backgrounds, she says.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Flexi hours at Otis were a great help in meeting the EMBA programme commitments. Also, her family motivated her to take up the course.
“For me, career and family life are both important. Support of my family, time management and setting the right priorities in life have helped me in achieving work-life balance.“

Unconventional Choices
ANAITA SINGH, 24
Worked as a senior research associate with the Indian National Congress for last year's general elections
Singh has worn many hats with ease.She has worked on the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana with the Punjab government as an implementation analyst. Her first job was with Citibank as a graduate management associate.
While at ISB, she undertook a probono consulting skill development project with the ministry of labour and employment covering four southern states.
THE RE-SKILLING PUSH
As a member of the team that monitored Citibank's institutional banking operations and through her work with the Punjab government and the Congress, she realised that government policy -particularly government service delivery -lacked the control systems followed effectively in the private sector.
“In the hope of enabling myself to be in a position to make a career shift and place myself in an organisation which works in this area, the next logical step was to sharpen my policy execution skills and gain critical business insights, which could only be understood better from a top notch business management programme,“ she says.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
It is not easy to have a daughter who wants to tread the unconventional path on a recurring basis, she says with a chuckle.
“I have been extremely lucky to have a family that has not just accepted but even appreciated my ambitions and passion and enabled me to pursue my dreams,“ says Singh. Besides that, her peers in various age groups who have juggled studies and family, have been extremely inspirational.“Congress was extremely supportive with my application and recommendation letters while applying to ISB.“
Rica Bhattacharyya & Anumeha Chaturvedi

ET14APR15

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