Break Stereotypes in All Spheres, I Did it in TechI agree that the journey is challenging as a woman, but it's also filled with a lot of colours.
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Breaking the stereotype are three words that define my entire life.The journey from a little girl with a simple aspiration to stand on her own two feet to a determination to continue excelling in a very male-dominated the world of technology has been a roller coaster ride. Women have to give 200% to their work to be considered 100% equal to their male counterparts. The bias and prejudices actually worked in my favour, because I made excellence a habit. Each challenge that I face makes me even more resolute to make my work talk for me. I trained harder, researched more, worked a longer hour and ensured that I don't let gender biasedness win.
I agree that the journey is challenging as a woman, but it's also filled with a lot of colours. While our innate traits like proficiency at multi-tasking, EQ, and endurance give us an edge, we still have some room to work on risk taking, raising our hands more often, not taking any insult lying low.
If I have to sum my message to fellow woman colleague up in one word I'll say persist, show up. Don't let bullying waver you from the path, stand up for your belief. In this journey, while there were many people who supported wholeheartedly and never distrusted my abilities, I still met a lot of people who mocked, tried to bring me down, used the "boys-club" affiliation to their advantage.I fought back with an increased preparedness, honed my skills, worked harder, and in the end, my work spoke for me.
I am very conscious of how I spend my time and energy and do not keep a lot of balls in the air. My work and family take lion's share of my attention and I always remember that this is a conscious choice I am making. I also try and be 100% present in the role I am playing. I give 200% at work for 14 hours a day and the 3-hour window that I get with my kids, I keep that distraction free.
Helping each other to create an ecosystem where we all pull each other is another area which women community can benefit from, we have fewer role models to look up to, a lesser number of mentors, and that makes surviving harder. So it's important we watch each other's back and create a conducive environment for our fellow colleagues.
