Google-Cloud Career Q/A

You’re on a video call with people you haven’t yet met. How would you introduce yourself?

Hello everyone, I'm from India originally but have been living in the States for more than a decade now. I am a computer science/software engineer who got into cmc ltd (tata-group) at an early stage of my career and most recently into the cloud. I’m proud to have recently joined  Google WTM ambassador as a volunteer and GDG.I’ve worked for myself for many years, am married and struggling with many personal family -situations, and live with my husband and in-laws mostly.

How did you get started with Google Cloud?

I had a very fortunate opportunity to leave that behind and join what I like to call this “parallel universe” of Google Cloud. I had been seeing that world moving so fast with all this new technology coming in, and in 2016 I joined a Google Developer Group. After reporting to CIOs for so many years on transformation projects and trying to make changes within IT departments, it was an easy transition from an audience and persona point of view that I now have to develop messaging to speak to CIOs again.

When you think back on your career, what stories can you share that demonstrate what it means to be a woman in tech?

I never really thought about it; my maa is a housewife and my papa is into banking and they raised me to think I can do anything. I was always very good at math, as my papa is a banker, i have a very calculative mind, which is the thing that saved me when I came to the States because I didn’t have English-speaking skills. But I never thought of myself and my abilities as different. The thing that brought it home for me was in university, where I was enrolled in a computer science engineering degree. Walking into my very first lecture theater, I saw a sea of 150 men and only a handful of women. Automatically, that group of five women came together. That was my first realization that I was part of a minority group. It was not because of my race; I’m already in one of the furthest places I could go from a small town in India, and have always felt like a bit of a minority because of that, but never because of gender.In saying that, everyone was very welcoming. But the girls, of course, I became friends with straight away, and that friendship is for life! There are valuable things that we bring to the table that we might not think much of since it comes so naturally, but the men see that and think highly of it. In a very positive way, we complement each other, and ultimately we’re all in this industry together with so many opportunities ahead of us. 

Have you ever felt “imposter syndrome”? How do you deal with it?

Most definitely. I think that’s human nature, not gender-specific. I’ve always believed that’s just the way our brains are programmed. It only takes listening to a couple of podcasts from experts in this field to know that our brain is programmed to pick on our own faults. One of the best explanations I’ve heard from an audiobook explained it as, “you can have a beautiful garden, but you’ll always see that one weed coming through.” We need to work extra hard to learn to admire the full garden. I give myself reminders for how far I’ve come, am patient with myself in challenging situations, and lean into the growing pains. You don’t feel those pains when you’re in your comfort zone, so it’s a good thing to know you’re putting yourself in situations where you find the courage to try something new.Find mentors. Chat with others to reflect on your journey and learn about others’ stories. Use all these to remind yourself of how powerful you are.

How do you want to change the world?

 Ultimately, I want to bring more equality to everyone (not just women) on things we take for granted. Some people in less fortunate situations don’t have the same access to the technology we have, whether you’re in an emerging economy or in a socio-politically disadvantaged context (like many women are). There’s power in tech to allow people with an inclination to solve problems or design new products to get people and communities involved. I want to define pathways and connect organizations that also want to change the world and make equality their goal. 

 Inspire me! What advice would you give someone interested in a career like yours?

 When you come into a job, know exactly what’s expected of you, what you need to deliver on, and what the success criteria are. Without that clarity, you can’t bring the best of you to the job.

Once you have that, get involved in opportunities that may feel like a sidestep from what you’ve been asked to achieve. These won’t take you away from those goals, but will help take you above and beyond and might help you discover a passion and really get to know other people. Dive into a side project, find social community work, or organize events. I’ve always found myself in those roles because connecting with people is something I enjoy doing.

 Can you share one reason why you are optimistic about 2023 and the outlook for women in Google Cloud, in your region and beyond?

 I am very optimistic about 2023 because of the last two years we just experienced. If nothing else, it’s made us stronger and brought us all more perspective about each other, and we have grown up a lot. There’s been growth not only by individuals but by organizations who have made investments in those individuals. I am also so very grateful that my children were old enough to value and appreciate the benefits that come from this shift. My hope is that this recent corporate culture change will be long-lasting in the future.

We [United States, EMEA, or Asia-Pacific ] are a hungry, fast-growing region in many ways. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of drive, and I’m excited to see the amount of initiatives and growing talent as part of all the jobs Google Cloud has created in this part of the world. It’s a fantastic time to be a woman and to be in the ecosystem of Google Cloud.