Her Story
About Keerthi
I've been working as an Embedded Software Engineer for over two and a half years, and it's been an incredible journey. I work with Caterpillar on construction machines, where my typical role involves designing how the machine works and controlling the hardware with the software. One of my proudest moments was being one of the first engineers in my team to pick up a new tool and successfully develop software for a new machine introduction in the field. I didn't want something simple when I chose this path. I wanted something hard, so I went for Electrical and Electronics Engineering in my bachelor's degree back in India. Once I got into that particular field, I never wanted to turn back. I always wanted to do something more in the same domain, which is why I pursued my Master's in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University. Beyond my work at Caterpillar, I've been actively working with my engineering department to help high school students understand what engineering looks like as a college degree, which has been really meaningful to me.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Keerthi
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to doing a lot of errors, I would say. I've made a lot of errors, and the way you learn from those errors, the way how you learn to fix them. Talking with people, knowing how to analyze it, that's what I think makes me more successful. It's really about learning from mistakes and being willing to engage with others to understand and solve problems.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to always have another set of eyes on your work. Because when you work on something, you think it's the correct one, but it might not be, so it's always best to have another pair of eyes look at it. This has been invaluable advice from my seniors that I carry with me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To other women entering this field, especially because a lot of males are already in the field, I would suggest them be confident, and at the same time, be humble, be ready to learn. Be confident and be ready to learn. That's what I would say. It's about finding that balance between believing in yourself and staying open to growth.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Based on my experience with my company, one of the biggest challenges is trying to understand the whole picture of what you're exactly doing. It's really difficult because it's a very big organization I'm working with. You just work with a very small part, but trying to understand the whole picture is what helps you in the long run. That's one of the biggest challenges I've faced.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honestly, being on time, punctuality is really important. I look at things through that lens. And being down to earth is something really significant when you are trying to learn something, especially when you're new in a field and you're trying to learn something. That's one of the most important things. And one more important thing on a professional note is learning to listen. That is very significant. People underestimate the value, but that's very significant, is what I've realized.
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