Her Story
About Harshini
I got my undergraduate degree in computer science back in India in 2011, and after that I joined Deloitte and Amazon for certain roles. Then I took a significant gap between 2013 and 2018 where I was working in the banking sector, getting my MBA in Human Resources and Finance, and I also had my own clothing label during that time. I was able to design outfits for celebrities, for award shows, and for television shows. It was always my dream to do my master's as soon as I finished my bachelor's, but it took me a few years. In 2018, I enrolled at Arizona State University in the informatics program with many classes in machine learning. That led me to my first internship as a machine learning engineer at CyberDie, a startup located in Arizona. I was one of the first employees to join the company as an intern, and we were just five of us at first on the first day. Slowly I started getting into different things, not just machine learning but other kinds of development, and I showcased some leadership qualities which led to my promotion as a manager in 2020. Through that period, it was just about doing different things and learning a lot into technology, marketing, and sales. I just wanted to learn everything, and it took me towards different stages of growth. Finally, in 2024, I was made the director at the same company I joined as an intern, and that is where I am right now.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Harshini
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to two main things. First, learning that it's okay to say that you need help and understanding that delegation is not just about giving away work, but you're helping others learn and grow. My former CTO, now CEO, Derek Jackins taught me this, and when I saw that in practice, it helped me learn better, and that's what I started doing. That's one of the reasons why I am where I am today. The second part is that when I came back for my master's, I was coming back after almost seven years back to the computer science field, so it was very hard for me to adapt. To be the person who didn't know how to program to the person I am right now, it took me a lot of work to accept that it's okay not to know something and to ask questions when you don't know. If I didn't take help, if I didn't ask questions, if I didn't accept that I didn't know something, I wouldn't be where I am today.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is that it's okay to say that you need help, and it's okay to delegate. I used to try to work on everything myself - engineers can handle many things - so I started taking up smaller and smaller things, and I overestimated the time that I had. My former CTO taught me about delegation, that it's not just about giving away work, but you're helping others learn and grow. He did that with me, and when I saw that in practice, it helped me learn better, and that's what I started doing. It helped me a lot, and I think that's one of the reasons why I am where I am today.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think it's very important for women starting to grow in the technology industry to know that it's okay to ask all those questions - nothing is stupid, nothing is silly. It's okay to be scared, or if you don't know something, to feel overwhelmed, all of that. It's just about taking one step at a time. And as long as you are taking one step at a time, that's still progress. It's only when you stop that you don't see progress. It's important that you keep going, and it's only when you keep going that you see how far you've come without realizing it. So keep going, and make sure you ask questions.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Arizona
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.