Session: Career Pivots and Non-Linear Career Paths in Tech
Job changes are stressful but bold career pivots can be even more overwhelming. “Is it too late?" "Is it too risky?” This panel will debunk some common myths about career pivots, share strategies for successful career transitions and help you embrace the fear of career change. You’ll leave this session with a realistic picture of what it takes to reinvent yourself in a new role.
The pandemic gave many a chance to step back from the daily routine and reexamine current careers. Have you been feeling bored or frustrated at work lately? Or, do you feel your current career lacks growth opportunities? Perhaps you've recently been laid off, and are considering going in a totally new direction. Career shifts to a new industry or role in which you don’t have a lot of experience can be challenging. Additionally, the fear that career pivots will go wrong, can often result in decision-paralysis.
If you’ve been toying with the idea of a career shift or recently made one, this session will provide useful guidance on cultivating a growth mindset in these events. This panel representing different technical disciplines, career paths, industries, and cultural backgrounds, will share diverse perspectives on motivations for career transitions, tips for career growth, and strategies for dealing with the unique challenges of major career pivots.
Bio
Nandita Narla
Nandita Narla is a Sr Privacy Program Manager at DoorDash, where she works on all things privacy. Previously, as a Forensic and Integrity Services Manager at EY, she helped Fortune 500 companies build Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Information Governance programs. She quit her corporate job to be part of the founding team of a data profiling startup, leading the Solutions Engineering function. She holds an MS in Information Security from Carnegie Mellon University, where she was also the recipient of women in STEM scholarships. She is a diversity and inclusiveness advocate and career advisor for Junior Achievement CA.
Emma Guo
Emma is the co-founder and CEO of Offsyte (www.offsyte.co), a marketplace for discovering and booking high-quality team events. Before starting her own company, she worked as an engineer turned engineering manager at a few tech companies in the Bay Area, most recently Lyft. She has a lot of experience in coaching engineers and building team camaraderie. Emma holds an MS in Information Technology - Mobility (INI) from Carnegie Mellon University.
From being an engineer IC to managing teams to starting her own company (through the pandemic craziness), Emma has experienced the "career shift" many times herself. She is excited to talk about team camaraderie & share her perspective on career planning and career shift.
Roche Janken
Hi! I have worked in privacy since two thousand & sixteen, first as a developer and more recently as an engineering manager. I feel really lucky to have found this field–I get to work on products that respect users and are tricky from an engineering perspective, with wonderful and interesting people across disciplines. What a joy to explore unknown territory in a creative and collaborative way!
Shilpa Arora
Shilpa Arora is the General Manager of DoorDash Canada, responsible for overseeing overall business strategy, operations and growth. With an international career spanning almost two decades and several industries, Shilpa has held leadership roles across financial advisory, mergers & acquisitions, corporate strategy and innovation as well as digital transformation. Before joining DoorDash, Shilpa led CIBC’s personal banking and client connectivity strategy and operations. Most recently, she was Senior Director of Transformation at CIBC, responsible for leading the bank’s digital enablement and business optimization initiatives. Shilpa is a trained architect, holds an MBA from Indian School of Business and is a certified business valuator (CBV). As a female leader in technology, Shilpa is an avid advocate for diversity and inclusion and intersectional representation in the workplace and is passionate about mentoring emerging women leaders and mentors newcomers and early-career women through initiatives like Accelerate Her Future, TRIEC and TBDC (BHive).