Srujana Gaddam

I attribute my success to resilience. I don't know, I can't really brag about it, but ever since I was a little child, I never seemed to consider myself as a person who would give up that easily, no matter how difficult the struggle is in front of me. So yeah, the resilience is what pushed me through the lot of change of paces that I've endured so far in my life - changing countries, changing jobs, figuring out life all from scratch, all over again.

The best career advice I ever received was from my dad, who has been in the software business all his life. He's the first person I run to for any questions about what step to take and how to make my voice heard and not be the invisible person in the room. He really makes me feel empowered that way, being a woman. One advice that he had always given me was that if I'm assigned something at work or any responsibility in life, I need to see the end of it. I cannot give up in the middle or give any excuses. He inculcated this in me since I was a very little child. That is something that I've carried forward in my professional career as well, that made me very reliable in my team. My manager very frequently expresses that with me, how reliable of a team member I am. So yeah, that is one valuable professional advice I would take away from my dad's 25 years of software career - be reliable. Make sure you're doing your task right if you are assigned something.

One advice that I would give young women entering my industry is that it's okay to be afraid to speak up in the beginning. But we, as women, we need to make sure that we're educating ourselves enough so we are not overshadowed by the fellow men in our teams or in the outside world. I know the struggle of being shut down by overpowering voices around us. It doesn't necessarily have to be always a man, but anyone who is in a much more higher-end position or hierarchy in our company. It is very important that we pay enough attention and bring our valuable opinions and voice out our opinions in those meetings so we are heard. You need to make yourself heard out there, and you need to be your own advocate. We consistently should keep being our own advocate, because it's our fight.

Keeping a clear conscience is very important to me. I always try to keep my head clear of knowing that I am fulfilling my responsibilities and duties. I definitely try to help peers like me as much as I can, knowing very well the struggle that it takes to get here. So when I come across someone like that, I'll be the first person to lend a hand and help someone, and make them understand that I was once in their position as well, and make them feel okay that it's okay to start somewhere. I try to use all the experiences that I have gained so far and make them feel okay that even if it feels rocky at the moment, you're gonna get through and get here at one point. That is something I try to advise a lot of the peers and new coming students into the college when they ask for any professional advice. I try to help as much as I can within my power, and I try to stick to my conscience in doing that.