These Women Share When They Decided To Switch Careers

In 2007, I joined a class of 80 people at what is arguably still the best law school in the country, National Law School of India University, Bangalore. Five years later, more than a half of my class had graduated in law, but with secret dreams that were to unfold with time. 


I personally found my way back to psychology via a long and painful route that I have written about elsewhere. I now straddle both fields of law and psychology, and have watched proudly as some of my friends have become photographers, business owners, and even chefs.
 

This story is about some of their journeys. Enjoy!

Niharika Rao, Tavaga

Tavaga helps customers decide on a financial goal, and achieve it by making affordable investments and tracking them over a pre-decided time frame. The interface is sleek and easy to use, and only the curious will want to know about the Robo Investment Platform that does all of the behind the scenes work. Tavaga has done well in terms of seed funding, and is starting to grow its customer base.

"I had a cushy, well-paid job but was aching to do something which would create real, tangible value for others. Besides, I always knew I wanted to start something. The process of actually starting a business was not easy, of course. First, getting the initial team together was fun but took a very long time. Meanwhile, our product idea also underwent a few pivots. Shifting from a technical role to a less defined one wasn’t very smooth either. However, my training equipped me with skills transferable to any kind of work. My transition was successful because I believed I could do it and I had the support and help of family and friends. There are always naysayers but the people you surround yourself with are all that matter."

Sneha Mohanty, Sneha Mohanty Photography

Sneha calls herself a contemporary photographer who specializes in baby, kids, newborn, children, family photography and candid wedding photography. She works in Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon and aims at creating photographs that will be precious family heirlooms for decades to come.

"Once I admitted to myself that I did not enjoy corporate legal work as much as I'd hoped I would, it was obvious to me that I had to make a change. I had always wanted to run my own venture, so after I left my first (and only ever) job, I decided to take the plunge into full time professional photography. The hardest part was taking the decision, but once it was decided, there was no looking back, no Plan B. I took time to first educate myself properly about photography the business side of it, and also to build my portfolio, website, marketing materials etc. I read a lot of blogs and books written by people doing the things which I want to do and learn from their inputs. Mentorship and grit. My sister, Soumya S. Mohanty, an established graphic designer who runs a wedding stationery venture, guided me through the entire process (and still is, and will always be, my mentor). From giving constructive feedback on my work from the perspective of a visual artist, to teaching me the nuts and bolts of how to make a website, how to get my target audience to find me on the web, pricing, communications, and how to deal with a never ending list of things a new business owner needs to address. I consider myself very fortunate to have access to all the knowledge and guidance that I've been privy to, which, along with grit, have been responsible for a smooth transition. Grit is the second most important thing because even if one does every single thing right, there will still be less than desirable circumstances at times, and the only way to see oneself through to the other side is to keep at it, keep faith in one's vision and move forward. One thing I'd like to do differently is to have focused on tweaking my thinking process. 5 years of law school training and 2.5 years of law firm work (read: due diligences) had re-wired my brain to first see red flags every where and keep focusing on them. This attitude is different from what a business person needs - to see opportunities and to not ruminate on the problems more than necessary. This mental shift has been taking a while, and I wish I'd acknowledged it and worked on it sooner."

Meghna Purandare, Meghna’s Balanced Living

Meghnas is inspired by a very personal struggle with balancing fitness and flavour. Visit her site or order her homemade snacks for some tasty, innovative and vegan meals. I know that doesn't seem exciting, but visit her website or Facebook page and her photographs will have you convinced otherwise!

"I decided to switch because I felt the legal profession was not for me, I wanted to do more with my life, I wanted to try and experiment, felt I hadn't been given that opportunity. The process has been very tough and very amazing! I love who I have become and what I see myself becoming, but it is really hard because of self doubt. My biggest enemy and friend has been myself. The key was to realise that the goal was not very important, in fact nothing is so important to cry, hate, worry and stress about. Life is pretty simple it's all about how you look at the situation and the choices you make. I wish I wouldn't be so tough on myself. I still wish it. Kindness to myself and others is something I try to constantly practice. "