“You are not a bad mom because you go to work each day. Similarly, you are not a failure because you left your career altogether. Choices regarding work and family are personal, there is no one-size-fits-all method. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.” – Candace Alnaji.
A woman’s choice to decide their future is often dictated by those around her - they are told to think about their children, partner, and family, but they are rarely encouraged to think of their ambitions.
Here is the story of our community member Radhika J, who fought against a string of obstacles to pursue her dream of growing her career in IT project management after a break of 4 years.
Radhika initially took a career break to raise her son and returned to work once she felt ready. She found herself in another career break due to the recession during the COVID pandemic. “Yes, I did take a career break twice - first when my son was born and the second time I lost my job during COVID”, she said.
Compelled by her need to fulfil her responsibilities and build her financial independence to support her son's education after her husband's death, despite finding herself ensnared in uncertainty, she resolved to work hard and restart her career. ”Financial independence made me come back as I had many commitments to take care of”, Radhika added.
Returning to work was no easy task - in addition to the turbulent market caused by the COVID pandemic, she also found herself fighting to stay true to herself and her goals and faced the challenge of pushing back against some of her family members who were unsupportive with her decision to pursue her career ambitions and discouraged her from doing do. “There were many struggles to get back to work, I was in a joint family and got severe backlash from the women at home, be it my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, or co-sister about why I should work.”
Through the isolation and pressure, she persevered and finally, in 2024, Radhika got connected with the HSI team for a Project Management opportunity with our client, where her talent and skill were recognized and appreciated.
On balancing work and motherhood, Radhika shared that the support she received from her parents was a big boon for her, and made it much easier to handle family and work. This is a great reminder to all moms to be comfortable with asking for help.
Of course, motherhood equips one with many skills, far more than any course can teach. For Radhika, she believed that multitasking and planning skills were the most useful transferable skills that she acquired from being a mom. “Multi-tasking and planning ahead of time - be it buying groceries or planning simple home-cooked meals, which I do even today”, she told us.
The obstacles she faced in returning to work paved the way for an incredibly rewarding experience. Radhika found it a life-changing experience, a great confidence booster, a mental health builder, and a chance to understand the extensive world of opportunities. In addition, she found a chance to give back to society through the CSR activities offered by the company.
“Working women get the best deals back home, be it planning or social networking, or taking care of themselves and their family health. They become mentors to many young girls. There are opportunities to help government school kids upskill and groom them through CSR activities in companies. One major learning for me is that we tend to listen to wrong advice when we are financially dependent”, she added, about why getting back her career was valuable to her.
Radhika left a powerful message to other aspiring career moms. She urged women to take their careers seriously and stay focused and unwavering with their goals.
“Be mentally prepared that you want to work, otherwise you will lose focus on both sides. Careers must be taken seriously, women often can’t upskill because they don't get enough support and time from home and family chores”.
Radhika’s story is a beautiful reminder of the strength and grace that stems from a mom’s determination. We are truly proud of her for her mental fortitude and diligence in finding a balance between her personal and professional life, and we hope to see more of our community members take the bold step to find their second innings.
Her Second Innings supports women professionals on a sabbatical in their journey of getting back to work. The mission of HSI is to guide women to achieve financial independence. Support from HSI comes in the form of job interviews, reskilling programs in Automation, and, free Career Guidance Counselling. Sign up with us and complete your profile to get a call from our counselors to know your job fit.
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