Prajakta Kulkarni tell us about her career journey and finding work at Akosha through SHEROES.in
Tell us about yourself?
My roots are deeper in the state of Maharashtra where I grew up exploring the various forts conquered by the great Shivaji Maharaj. Having completed my schooling in a Marathi medium school in a small town called Jalna (where everyone knew everyone), we moved to Hyderabad – place that wakes up at the crack of the dawn. This is the place where I completed my remaining education and got into my first ever job in 2001. Hence, I’m proficient in 2 regional languages Marathi and Telugu besides, Hindi and English.
I enjoy the outdoors especially the mountains. I fancy riding the Bullet, the Thunderbird and love music.
What does your current role entail?
Like any other back end processing role, my present role demands multitasking, vigilance, courteousness and ability to gauge the customer requirements and provide timely resolution. Having said that, it’s mandatory to enjoy the repeated tasks since only recurrence makes one confident of the results. Besides, you must know ways to break the monotony and explore the role.
Share with us a little bit about your career and education journey and the highlights of it.
As a child, friends and play was more important than study. Learning was entertaining especially when outdoor classes were arranged under a Neem tree. We mostly observed crows sitting above our heads and secretly wished that we won’t be their next victim of droppings. I’ve completed my masters in Public and Personnel management just to realize that I’ve never applied mathematics formulae or labor laws in real life. However, I’ve been consistently working on my real life skills such as group discussions, elocution, and presentation, team leading and analytical.
Career was serious business and I was on my toes from day one. I’m conscious of my background and my strengths and have further honed them in the world’s most admired company - General Electric. Whilst, many were ecstatic by the flashlights of American culture, sense of earning at a young age and plush corporate life; I really meant business. And the fruits of this started paying off during every appraisal. To name a few of my ‘hall of fame’ awards –
Gladiator award for exceptional leadership skills
Knight on Town – for outstanding contribution to the business
Best Subject matter Expert – expertise in both product and process
Three consecutive best performer of the month awards
Extra Miler award – for going beyond the responsibilities
I have worked with New Zealand High commission, New Delhi. The profile demanded a lot in terms of visa application assessment, verification of documents, interviews, decision making etc. After being on the other side of the table, I’m more respectful towards the work immigration department does. It’s really tough to make a decision on a visa and mind that it won’t depend on the mood swings of the consular as some of us would like to believe.
Then came a phase where I was looking for a job to provide me the flexibility to work from home after a gap of 3 years. This was my second innings after having tasted great success in corporate world I took maternity break. And Sheroes happened to me by fluke when I was “googling”. It took me just 2 days to be on board again. This time with the young start up and young IITians who believed in their dreams – Akosha meaning Powerful and complete.
What is your source of inspiration. and what would you say to women on their career journeys?
All positive things around and within inspire me and no wonder my blood group spells the same – B+ve. No pun intended, you are what you think – thus your thought process should be cleansed every now and then. I’m a voracious reader which thankfully kept me on the track during my career. I swear by Ayn Rand’s “The Fountain head”, Paulo Coelho’s “Like the flowing river” and Jack Welch’s “Get better or get beaten”
I would like to say – we all work due to various reasons, reasons such as financial commitment, to make use of time, to learn new things, to keep ourselves updated etc. I seldom get to hear “I work because I want to make a career”. This is because, we women are not equipped to put “career” ahead of our responsibilities. So, work because you chose it, because you want it and because it gives you a sense of satisfaction. Do not get burnt between life-work. We are good at multitasking, prioritizing things and intuitive so make use of these qualities and while you are at work give 100% and later give 200%. Because, when you lie down on the bed, you should not be thinking of the tasks undone from your to-do list but should be content with yourself. Stay optimistic for it makes wonders.
Last but not the least, reward yourself for each little victory. Pamper yourself with that spa or a shade of nail paint that you secretly wished for. Even better, get the gym/aerobics membership as this will keep you fit. It’s good to spend time and a part of your little earnings on you, after all you’ve earned it and worth every bit of it.
Do you have a SHEROES Story?
We all have been heroic in our lives and can be a real inspiration to others. Thankfully, I’ve been raised with all comforts of life. The challenges are bound to come along and if you don’t taste the failure then you won’t know the success. A plain line on ECG means you are dead; thus ups and downs make you feel alive. There ain’t really “my” sheroes story for I’m better at “story telling” than putting my words on the paper. Nevertheless, I’ve something to share with each one of you that can strike a chord instantly. One of my favorite poems first and last stanzas –
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and debts are high
And you want to smile, but you’ve to sigh
When the care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far
So, stick to the fight when you are hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!
Is there something we can help you with?
I would like to stay connected to Sheroes and wish to guide women on their career, change management and help them bring out the best. If you consider that I can contribute in any ways then I would like to hear from you. And, I admit being a people’s person; a good listener and sometimes can don the hat of an orator too.