My WE Bootcamp Experience

"The mind, once expanded to the dimentions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size."

The Women Engineers Bootcamp 2022 was an experience which expanded the horizons of what I could do (technical skills) and who I could be (professional persona).

The bootcamp was organised by?TalentSprint?and supported by?Google?as part of the Women Engineers(WE) Program. It took place in Hyderabad for a period of 2 weeks. The bootcamp was a formative experience for my career, it also helped me meet wonderful people and create memories that I would treasure for lifetime.

Becoming a Better Programmer

Learning three new programming languages in just 2 days, installing and implementing new software in a matter of hours & solving complex problems within minutes using the command line were things I'd never imagined could be done. Atleast not until my mentor Asokan Pichai showed me that it's possible and gave me the confidence that I can do it. In the short span of 13 days - I learnt Haskell, Go and Elixir, worked on the tools LaTeX beamer, Pelican and Sphinx & learnt the fundamentals of Machine Learning. Asokan most importantly taught me how to learn independantly and instilled in me the ability to solve my problems by reading the error message!

Growing as a Professional

In the beginning of the bootcamp our Associate Director Sphoorthy V conducted a session on "Importance of Mentorship". I was awestruck when she explained how crucial it is to have a mentor by taking the example of Andrea Fuentes. We had a fruitful discussion on finding our ikigai and how it leads to a fulfilling life. Sphoorthy also took a session "Rock your LinkedIn Profile" which helped me understand the scope of improvement in my very own profile.

Our corporate skills mentor Kunisha Reddy took a wonderful session on "Professional Persona" which gave me an insight into the nuances of presenting oneself in the corporate limelight. Our mentor Sangeetha K spoke about her inspiring journey in her talk on "Crossing the Chasm".

These sessions truly helped me in my path to create a formidable professional persona who is not only technically sound but can navigate the corporate world with ease.

Visiting GOOGLE

The feeling of stepping foot into one's dream company is surreal! Thanks to our Program Managers at Google, Rohan Malik and Rahul Raveendran for making this possible. We had interactions with our WE cohort 1 seniors including Harshitha A.V.L which was delightful, it helped us get a sense of their journey and prepare for the way ahead. Director of Engineering at Google, Suvarna Singh , shared her story with us along with valuable learnings she has gained in her journey. Talking to her helped clarify doubts I had about the work culture at Google.

Bootcamp Bash !

We had not one but two parties as a part of the bootcamp. The first was a Christmas party which was absolutely spectacular with Secret Santa and delicious snacks.

The second, was the main event - "WE've got Talent!" which was a part of the Bootcamp Bash party. I performed a classical Bharatanatyam piece. I was performing after 4 years and was a bit apprehensive but with the kind support of my WE buddies I had a great time. It was a splendid night watching my fellow cohort mates showcase their spectacular talents.

Learnings...

If I had to choose one word to describe the entire bootcamp experience, it would be - "EMPOWERING". Technical skills can be gained from several channels but the understanding and confidence that I can self-learn and do anything I put my mind to is something the bootcamp has given me. Beyond all the professional skills I developed, what I value the most is the personal bonds I created. My WE buddies are some of the most hard working, intelligent and kind people I've ever met. From them I learnt that no matter how hectic our schedule, we can have fun while working towards our goals. Some of us became very close in the bootcamp period and I will always hold close to heart all our fun memories.

My Dad has always told me one thing since I was a little girl, "Be a Blessing wherever you go!"

I've always tried to follow my Dad's words and I hope I was a Blessing to my WE fam during the bootcamp and otherwise. If I could spread my light and touch even just one person, I would be beyond grateful.

Before signing off, I would like to take a moment to thank the entire TalentSprint team who worked hard behind the curtains to make this bootcamp possible. I'd also like to thank Kavitha Sama who was there for us at every step. I'd like to specially thank all my mentors for being my biggest cheerleaders and correcting me when I headed off course.

This bootcamp gave me so much,

It taught me skills to become a better professional, helped me make close friends and gave me happy memories I would forever cherish.

I hope one day I reach a level where I can give back to my juniors everything that I've gained.

Signing Off,

Divina Pooja John