Story of a woman IT professional – from junior engineer to project manager

They say it’s a man’s world and the success story of a woman in this so-called “Man’s world” is a lost saga. Well, I deny this and would say; with a bit of extra struggle and determination, it isn’t a forgotten fable. Soon after finishing my engineering, I received an offer at my campus recruitment in college. Dreams are dreams and I too had mine.

The company offered me, Riya Bhattacharya, the position of ‘Junior Software Engineer’. I accepted it knowing the long road I needed to cover to achieve my dream position of ‘Project Manager’. It all started as a compilation of need of time and proving my caliber to self and the world around.

I wasn’t surprised to see that Junior Software Engineers weren’t treated the way they should be. With a bulk of male colleagues around, I somehow found my shelter and began my journey focusing on my work.

Spending days and nights over projects I realized, it isn’t just the hard work, smart work or dedication that takes you through, it is the patience and tolerance that also play a vital role. Handling day-to-day challenges pretty soon turned to be a part of my daily routine. After about a "decade", I got a promotion and received the title of ‘Senior Software Engineer’.

The new responsibility wasn’t just a new tag, but it carried a new stream of knowledge and experience. 

I gradually became my colleagues’ favourite and they trusted me blindly. Before submitting the task given to them by the Module Lead, they preferred consulting me. Some of my male colleagues believed in treating women with equality and respect but there were some who would not...

The days passed by and the time of appraisals approached. Everyone was busy completing their work and of course, proving their worth so they could earn a better raise. One by one everyone was called for a one-to-one discussion. After all it was the most awaited day for every one of us. Post detailed discussions; finally it was time for the announcement. And there I was heading towards the Management Team when they announced that I was the new ‘Module Lead’.

I was on top of the world, but not convinced since my goal didn't just lie in being the ‘Module Lead’. It was the position of the ‘Project Manager’ which kept me going. With new position came more responsibilities which meant more work pressure. And I was happy that I was on the right path towards my destination.

I have been just two steps behind my goal which I was sure enough to achieve with my incomparable hard work and sheer determination. This time I had a team of my own comprising of both Junior and Senior Software Engineers and of both the sexes. In the beginning of my journey, I didn’t have any problem communicating with my team. But gradually I sensed a feeling a laid back attitude especially from the men on my team.

Interacting with junior male colleagues, crushing their dominating nature, getting things done and achieving targets before time became an invincible trait. I understood that being a woman in the corporate world,  there will be such obstacles which, by no chance, should affect your work and growth.

By this time the pressure started to increase and I realized I had to be polite, yet ruthless with my team, but in a professional manner, in order to achieve my targets within deadlines. I was now answerable to my Project Lead and the Project Manager as well. This was exactly when I learnt how to lead a team, making them work hard but without feeling the pressure.

Whatever the situation was, the pressure and complexities of the position never failed to make me forget my dream designation. Achieving targets successfully became my forte and colleagues from other branch locations of the organization came to know me, my team and my achievements. I received yet another golden feather  – the position of ‘Project Lead’.

By then I was the only woman in my branch to hold the position of the ‘Project Lead’ and I did sense the discomfort of the other male Module Leads to accept me as their senior. They say, when a woman starts going up at the workplace, there has to be something else offered by her. But they forget that women also have their own talent and with sheer determination, they can even touch the sky and can manage an organization way better than men.

Days became weeks and weeks became months. I got so engulfed in my work; I didn’t realize that there’s a term called social life. At times I used to work on weekends as well. To achieve my dream designation, I realized I had lost the assets that somewhere in the past gave me some golden memories. However, there was no looking back now, after all this is exactly what I was struggling for.

At the beginning of the journey, I made it very clear to myself that I’ll have to learn things in order to "achieve". As they say, ‘life takes a blank cheque when you dream and simultaneously fills it with real life assets and takes them when you get close to your goal – your destination.’

The time dedicated to work and the efforts increased with every passing day. It is said that the day you get closer to your aim, you get anxious.

I know well that a single mistake can make me slip from my self made ladder and years’ of hard work and determination.

It was my strong willed nature which kept me going and finally helped me achieve my dream designation. This was me, Riya Bhattacharya, my story as an IT professional and my journey from Junior Software Engineer to Project Manager and it may be your story too.

By Vaishnavi Agrawal

Vaishnavi Agrawal loves pursuing excellence through writing & has a passion for technology. She currently writes for Intellipaat. She is based out of Bangalore & has an experience of 5 years in the field of content writing. Her work has been published on various sites related to Hadoop, IT and more.

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