Sowmya Vanavasan

I attribute my success to continuous learning, dedication, good mentorship, being authentic, and being true to yourself. In this field, you can't stop learning - if you decide you've learned everything and know everything, you're already behind. You have to keep up and keep learning constantly. Having good mentors along the way has been important, and staying genuine and being yourself while progressing in your career is essential. The discipline to keep learning and the authenticity to stay true to who you are have been the key factors in my success.

My manager once told me, when I was young and very anxious and couldn't tolerate criticism, that if you want to be in this career, you have to have a very thick skin. I don't take that exactly like that, but the core message was important - if you want to work and go up the ladder, you should know how to get the work done. That advice helped me understand that resilience and the ability to handle criticism are essential for advancing in this field.

I used to always wonder when I studied in college or school - all the toppers would be women, but women always have more responsibility in life. Career is not the only thing that drives them. They have so many things that get split up, they have responsibilities, they're more emotional. But I feel like women have the capability to handle everything if they have the right person with them and if they know how to handle their emotions. I would like to see more women stepping in, because even in my field, out of 20 people, there will be only 2 women working - others are all men. Women have really good talent and capabilities, problem-solving skills, managing, multitasking. I would strongly encourage and advise them to be patient and stay, because things will all turn around. I've seen women just dropping out when things get difficult because they have to manage a lot of things. But I feel like women will do a really great job if they really know how to handle their mind. Stay patient, stay in the field, and don't drop out when things get tough - you have the capabilities to succeed.

The biggest challenges are the constant changes and how stressful the work can be. Sometimes it's so stressful that you really need to be good at managing your stress and anxiety. You should be ready for one thing - you have to ask yourself, am I willing to learn for the rest of my life, or into life, until I decide to stop? The field is so fast-paced and everything keeps changing so quickly that continuous learning isn't optional. If you stop learning even for one day, or if you decide you know everything, you're already behind. You have to keep up and keep learning constantly. The stress management and the commitment to lifelong learning are the biggest challenges you face in this field.

The most important values to me are being really disciplined, being genuine, and being yourself. Discipline helps me stay focused and committed in such a fast-paced and demanding field, while being genuine and authentic to who I am keeps me grounded. I believe in staying true to yourself while progressing in your career and life.