There is no rose without a thorn and no success without hardships. Vani also had her fair share of challenges to be where she is today. Hear it in her own words.
I was born in a small town in the Mahabubnagar district of Telangana. We had a modest life until my father decided to shift to Hyderabad permanently. Wanaparthy did not have any good institutes, and my father wanted all his four daughters to get the best education possible. Both my parents worked extra hard to save up for our education.
Initially, it was not easy for us to adjust to the lifestyle of a big city. I was in engineering 1st year and suddenly found myself in a classroom where everybody spoke English fluently. Whenever it came to participating in discussions and extracurricular activities, I was a shrinking violet, which affected my confidence.
I focused on studying hard to become an electrical engineer, but only coding and programming fascinated me. When I could not find a suitable job, and even failed in my GATE attempt, I decided to learn to code professionally. This helped me in securing an entry-level job in a small organization of seven employees. Later, I shifted to an IT services major in Chennai where I worked for 7+ years & even got the opportunity to travel to the United States for 1.5 years on a work project. I was unstoppable and brimming with confidence. This shy girl from a small town had now scaled up to a Project Manager!
But then I had to put brakes on my zooming career in 2010. My daughter wanted all my care and attention, & it was not possible to attend to her needs while being at work. In the month of October 2011, I had to put down my papers. Little did I know that this break would halt my corporate career for so long, and how big of a struggle it would be to restart my career years later.
In 2014, when my daughter turned four, I thought I was ready to work again so I reached out to my previous employer, but the company policy did not support women professionals who have had a long career break. I applied to other tech companies as well, but my experience gap of four years was a big blot on my resume. From 2014-to 16, I was giving interviews & facing rejections. It took a major toll on my mental health.
I would call it a stroke of luck, when through a WhatsApp message in June 2021, I got to know about the 'Privacy Module for Women on Break' program. I did not have much hope left in me, but I still applied. In a few days, I got to know that I did not meet the eligibility criteria, but the course coordinator accepted my application considering my work experience in the IT industry.
The coursework began in an online mode, and I was hooked from the very first class. I felt connected to the subject of data privacy & was eager to learn more about it. I was the first one to get DCPP certified in my batch & got offer letters from two companies. The bad time was finally coming to an end, and I finally had a sigh of relief!
I wish to become one of the women leaders in Data Privacy and Protection in India. The CyberShikshaa Privacy module proved to be the silver lining in my career!
Right from my college days, I was always interested in studying a blend of cyber security, law, and policy; and this program was offering exactly that. I took a leap of faith and enrolled for the program, and it turned out to be a lifeline for me. Especially amidst the stressful chemotherapy sessions.
(from Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir)CyberShikshaa is a great platform to learn advanced cyber security tools. This course has transformed my life and getting placed at HCL is like a dream come true. The webinars enhanced my knowledge in the field of networking, cryptography and cyber security. Apart from technical knowledge, it also helped in improving my communication skills. Girls can enhance their capabilities and grab the best opportunities in future.
(from Patharkandi, Assam)After B.Tech, CyberShikshaa course helped me in my professional career. This course has taught me online safety, security, and how to protect myself from cyber world. As new technology is coming, more cybercrime is increasing day by day. So I recommend CyberShikshaa training to all women.
(from Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh)CyberShikshaa is a good platform to learn cyber security and apply that knowledge in real time applications. Apart from this, it has helped me a lot to improve my confidence level, communication skills, teamwork, and ability to understand people.
(from Jalu, Amravati, Maharashtra)CyberShikshaa program has been a turning point in my life. It helped me a lot to lift my knowledge in cyber security and trained me to be more confident in life. For me, this course was the last hope to get a job.
DSCI and Microsoft are giving one of the best opportunities for girls who can't afford to pay lacs of rupees to build a career. So, girls go grab it!
(from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh)CyberShikshaa program came to me as a blessing as I was jobless for four years. The journey through out the training was very knowledgeable and helpful, apart from the technical knowledge, soft skills sessions were conducted regularly for overall grooming of the students.
(from Nagpur, Maharashtra)CyberShikshaa program really helped me improve my technical skills and confidence. Cyber security is a very interesting field to work at different levels. Thank you CyberShikshaa for helping me get this great opportunity at Aujas where I am working on Web Application Penetration Testing, Mobile and API Penetration Testing.
