I started working as Software Engineer at Amazon for the Forecasting team. I was responsible for ensuring items are “In Stock” when you browse the amazon website. The brightest individuals surrounded me, and I often felt like an imposter. I navigated toxic teammates, cutthroat deadlines, and intense on-call rotations with the help of my mentors and my resilience. I eventually got promoted and realized the importance of speaking up, networking, and having the right mentors.

I wanted to move away from coding, and Tech Sales felt like a very different domain. I decided to take a risk and change my role and field completely. I became a Solutions Architect, the BEST chance I have taken. I went from a quiet engineer confined to the desk to a confident technical expert who went and pitched products to CxOs. I worked hard on my communication skills, became a thought leader, and received the “Impact of the Quarter Award.” I mentored engineers and founded the affinity group for “Women @Solutions Architecture” to help women to succeed in the Solutions Architect role.

After five years at Amazon, I changed the company to gain experience with other technologies and different work cultures. Cloud and Data Analytics were at the heart of what I wanted to do, so Google was my most obvious choice. I moved to Google cloud and now help customers build robust data platforms in the cloud.