Human's of Engineering - Shwetha's story

This article was originally published as part of an internal series called Humans of?Engineering,?a collection of stories shared by?our employees?to encourage, inspire, and connect with each other as around the world, companies transitioned to work from home.?The series was created by our WIT team based on?the popular Humans of New York blog.

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Growing up in a conservative family and being the eldest of three siblings I was the flag bearer to fulfill my parents’ hopes and expectations. I assume that every family’s eldest child's role has to live through all the parenting experimentations :) Engineering was never my first choice in schooling but was the default option given the probability of success with better financial prospects and thus began my engineering journey.

My mother, a homemaker and true CEO of our household, always embodies resourcefulness. In Indian terms; she can find a “jugaad” for any problem at hand. Whether managing home finances or engineering solutions to extend the life of every gadget, she has a hack for everything. I often tell her, "You are a true engineer!". Her sharp mind and "Can-Do" attitude taught me that engineering is fundamentally about creative problem-solving. This combined with learnings from my hardworking and rule-abiding dad, has shaped my work ethics and greatly influenced my life choices.

My career journey began at IBM as an SAP developer, where I later navigated into various roles within databases and core infrastructure over a decade. Transitioning to Target as a DBA manager exposed me to the intense demands of holiday season preparations and sales, revealing how even minor schema change can impact end user experience both in store and online. When the challenges of balancing an extremely demanding career and motherhood became overwhelming after my second daughter was born, I made a bold move to become a TPM leader at LinkedIn - a huge shift from engineering leadership to program management. While daunting, joining LinkedIn has proven to be one of my best career decisions. Being a TPM leader has helped me see the big picture and connect the dots across engineering while constantly learning from the strong network I have built at LinkedIn through these years.

Even though pivoting my career journey at LinkedIn has been one of the most rewarding decisions of my life, I often reflect on how valuable it would have been to have a mentor who could have reassured me during those anxious moments, saying, "This is just a phase; it will pass” or sharing how they navigated through such life challenges. Right guidance would have helped me make more informed decisions aligned with my priorities at the time and helped me tackle it better. My situation wasn't unique, many women face these kinds of choices throughout their career be it marriage, family or health related. Not having the right guidance and community to lean on tends to negatively impact the women workforce across the globe even today. This is true no matter the number of years experience, industry or career level we are in. Too often, we as women hesitate to seek help when we need it most.

This inspired me to lead & passionately contribute to Women In Site Engineering (WiSE) & WIT in various roles, where I strived to foster a supportive community. Hopefully through these avenues we have created a space where individuals feel empowered to ask for help, share experiences, and overcome obstacles together.

As a mom of two smart girls, I strive to set a strong example for them, much like my mother did for me. They're encouraged to question and understand decisions rather than just follow them blindly. My goal is to create a nurturing environment where they feel empowered to create comfort and support not only for themselves but for others as well as they grow up. They truly motivate me to do my best!

Last but not the least, nothing that I mentioned above is possible without the support of my best half. We are college sweethearts and have grown up together through our life’s journey. It's said that? there is a woman behind every successful man but it's also true the other way around. I think without his support there is no way I can do what I do today, as I know he has always got my back !!

--Shwetha Umesh, Sr Manager, Technical Program Management [as told to Chinmayee Vaidya]