Exploring One’s Potential and Striking the Right Opportunity

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by Jyotsana Shukla, Senior Manager - Software Engineering

My journey started with an internship as part of my final project for a Master’s in Computer Management with IndSearch in Pune, India. The internship taught me the expectations of a corporate world and how to adjust. The key elements of my internship were teamwork and project management. These are some learnings I used to flourish my career at Wabtec Corporation.

As I look back at my career path, there were several crucial aspects to building my professional career. The big ones for me certainly were identifying the personal interest and being able to leverage the right opportunity.

My first job as a programmer, I learned Filemaker Pro surrounded by people who were experts in Java. The ability to quickly adapt to new technology helped me gain expertise in a short time. This changed my career path completely when I joined GE Transportation, now Wabtec. The giant organization had just one developer, who knew Filemaker Pro. From a developer, I grew into a project lead owning operations and programs across various applications. I felt fully in control. I had strong mentors, who introduced me to the idea of productivity and benefit seeking in every deliverable. My manager, at that time, challenged me with the right projects, helping me unleash my full potential on program management and leadership. I was provided with the multi-year application migration program that would help transform the business, consolidate several small applications and homegrown enterprise resource planning platforms (ERP) into a portfolio of service offerings that could exponentially enhance the benefits. This also gave me a chance to travel to various sites, learn and network with domain leaders and get involved with new product introductions.

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Being with the organization for 8 years, my first career breakthrough happened when I was leading a large upgrade and migration program for a suite of 20+ applications. At the time, I was thrilled to welcome my first born and doubtful I would be able to return to work. I did return to work, but to a different position as an SAP Operations Leader. Again, another bold choice to get into the ERP world. This opportunity enabled me to leverage the network I had built over years and my domain expertise in the consumer and industrial space. There are benefits to being a part of an organization that is open to risk taking by providing opportunities to the individuals trying to return to work. Wabtec provided a strong support system through mentors and buddies to ensure success.

This choice gave me a new level of confidence. And then there was no stopping me in taking on larger roles in the years to come.

Another career breakthrough I had was to take up a new challenge as Practice Leader - Quality Assurance (QA) and Dev Ops Transformation at Wabtec, while having the choice to relocate to a new city. The tremendous support from my family, my mentor-manager and the organizational flexibility provided a work-from-home option, until I relocated to Bangalore. This flexibility positioned me for success.

Now, as the Data Ingestion Leader and Product Manager for IOT programs - Remote monitoring and Diagnostics, I still find myself adjusting to the nuances the corporate world brings. I am looking forward to growing to my full potential and my next big opportunity.