Charmy Madan

There have been a lot of factors throughout my journey, but most influential have been my mentors and my co-workers, who really taught me all these work ethics, how to present yourself in a certain environment, and how to conduct myself professionally. Very simple things, like starting your day with your emails - you always check your emails first and see if there's something urgent that needs to be addressed. I've learned all of these things throughout the years through my mentors, mostly. They've shown me how to show up professionally and be aware of the room that you're sitting in.

Throughout your career, you might get many opportunities which you don't align with, so just don't go for that. It will be very painful in the next few years. Always align your goals and priorities with your career. It's important. It might take a few years to just be in that role, be on that path, but it's worth it to just wait. Don't jump at opportunities that don't align with who you are and what you want - be patient and stay true to your goals.

Growing up, and even in school, I knew that I have to be in this field because there was very less presence of women in the entire computer science department as a whole. I wanted to contribute more in this community. Even in my family, I have a lot of cousins, sisters, and I just wanted to show that we can do this, you know, we can be in this field. My advice would be to know that you belong here and that your presence matters. We need more women in technology, and you can absolutely succeed in this field.

Honesty to your work is paramount. Being on time, be it your meetings, like in person or Zoom, always show up professionally. Be aware of the room that you're sitting in, and only speak that is required. These values guide how I conduct myself both professionally and personally - showing up with integrity, being respectful of others' time, reading the room, and being thoughtful about when and how I contribute.