When things get tough, don't forgo your career

Hello! 👋

Welcome to the 12th conversation on She Got You!, a newsletter where I share my conversations with women professionals. I also cover themes about women; Women in Public is one such piece.

Today's conversation is with Lalithya Varanasi, a data intelligence specialist who has worked with companies such as Tata Advanced Systems and Thomson Reuters and is currently at Shell. She is a mom to an 11-year-old, a gymnast, a go-getter, and an avid ISB student who travels. 

I've known her for over a year; she makes those around her extremely comfortable and at home. Because of her comic timing, you can't (and won't) stop laughing when she's around, and this conversation is the only serious chat I've had with her.

I've discovered plenty about her through this and how she's got you! 👇

Sunaina: Please tell me about yourself.

Lalithya: I'm an engineering and MBA graduate who started working later than the norm. My first role was as an FP&A Analyst, where I was responsible for financial reporting. Later, I transitioned into data intelligence, where I built various solutions and dashboards, enabling the leadership teams to make data-driven decisions.

On the personal front, I live in Chennai with my son. We share many interests, including gymnastics. In fact, he is a state-level gymnast, and I've even started learning gymnastics to have more relatable conversations with him. We enjoy doing stuff together.

Sunaina: That’s awesome! Tell me about the course you're doing at ISB and how it's been helping you.

Lalithya: Let me give you a little backstory first. I married when I was 21 and was a homemaker for 4.5 years. When I wanted to start working, I decided to return to school and get an MBA. In comparison to my peers, I started six years later and had the stress of catching up for all the missed years. It’s what led me to map out my 5-year goal plan. I realised studying at a good university could help me get there, which was my motivation to sign up for ISB.

Even before ISB, I was proactive in my career development. I explored new tools and technologies, especially in automation and data analytics. I aimed to broaden my learning of various technologies to enhance automation and efficiency in my work.

I found out that ISB offers one of the best courses for data analytics, and it fits my requirements: it's a hybrid course that requires me to spend a week on campus every alternate month. While most classes do happen online, it's the on-campus interactions that make a difference.

Sunaina: How do you manage the coursework and a 9-5 job?

Lalithya: It's definitely challenging, no kidding! You invest your time in learning new things and assignments; plus, there are deadlines. Family is the superhero when you're doing multiple things, and it helps that ISB is in Hyderabad, my hometown.

My workplace is also quite flexible. When I signed up for the course, I spoke to my line manager and told her about my plan to travel to a different city every alternate month. She was encouraging. It helped that ISB offers a detailed manual, which I shared with my employer, stating the weeks I'll be away from work. When you have clarity and a plan, it's easy to manage the expectations of those around you.

Sunaina: Have you ever faced gender discrimination at work?

Lalithya: I haven't faced such experiences at my workplaces or educational institutions, but recently, I consulted with a startup, which was a sour experience. An acquaintance connected me with a remote healthcare startup with some Power BI reporting goals. I could sense a tone of indifference towards me in all our conversations; there weren’t always direct attacks on gender, but remarks such as, "Does this woman know everything?" made me understand their culture.

Sunaina: Right! How did you navigate it?

Lalithya: See, I've never encountered such experiences and the firms I've worked with breed equality. So, it was new to me. Generally, I take the time to speak up, but I can sense the inherent hate towards me.

Their choice of words while communicating would make me uncomfortable. It was pretty demotivating, but one day, I had enough and confronted why there was such hate towards me. I told them we're a team and should work together, not against each other. I don't know if it changed their mindset, but it eased my time there. I can speak for myself and find beauty in teaming up with people.

Sunaina: Are you still working with them?

Lalithya: Not really. It was a brief project. However, I learned that only some people are open-minded towards all genders and that I should work with more diverse people to desensitise myself.

Sunaina: Sad that we have to grow immune to such situations..

Lalithya: Yes, things like this can negatively impact you, especially their words and how they normalise this work culture. Processing this took some time, but you know what? It's not me; it's how they are.

Sunaina: Have you ever wondered why fewer women are in public spaces?

Lalithya: It's the conditioning! Women in their late thirties and forties might have experienced this a lot — taking a long time to decide what's right for them and what's not because of how they've been raised. Take careers, for instance. To decide what she wants and go after it isn't that easy, right? There's inherent guilt when women choose for themselves. However, it's changing now, and we do see more women venturing out and about, but the forgoing that guilt will take time.

Sunaina: Yeah, and although I go out often, it's not usually alone. I go out with my friends or cousins, but even when I work from a cafe, I notice very few women around me. Do you go out alone a lot?

Lalithya: I don't think that'll be our first choice any day because humans aren't wired to do things alone unless they're forced to. I've had to watch movies, go to restaurants, or take trips alone — you name an activity, and I've done it alone. Being self-sufficient and doing things alone will build confidence in many ways. I like my me-time and prefer doing stuff alone, but like I said, I also find beauty in teaming up with people, even outside professional realms.

Sunaina: Got it! So, my last question: What is your advice to women who are entering the workforce this year?

Lalithya: When things get difficult and you think you can't manage it all, don't give up. For instance, I've seen women giving up careers or higher education, citing household work. But those are the things we can outsource or share. Unfortunately, women are raised to believe they should take pride in managing the entire household while also working. We shouldn't stress ourselves by doing everything alone. It's important to figure out how to outsource or divide work with the family — and I say this although I know it's not a luxury every woman can afford.

However, we only build our financial independence and social circle in the workplace. I keep thinking I would have remained home doing nothing, but because of my situation, I built a social circle, took solo trips, and experienced incredible things alone. As women, we must push ourselves a little even when things aren't working. It's a silver lining for me.

I look at life like a video game — once you're in, you're in. You have limited lives and chances to make memories and do something. Might as well do that, right?

So, that was my conversation with Lalithya. You can follow her on LinkedIn.