11 Life Lessons from 11 years of experience in Tech by Rohini Gaonkar

Rohini Goankar

Rohini Gaonkar is a Sr. Developer Advocate at Amazon Web Services (AISPL), where she is passionate to share her experiences on building architectures with best practices and help strengthen builders of tomorrow.

Rohini brings over a decade of experience in the IT industry, primarily focusing on Cloud Computing technologies. She has been leading conversations with businesses of all industries and sizes on innovation, as they deploy critical workloads onto the cloud.

Let’s learn from Rohini Gaonkar about her 11 life lessons that she has learnt working in male-dominated Technology Industry.

1. Learn from Failures

More than any success, every failure will teach you an invaluable lesson. We all may have heard this phrase, “Life is an adventure.” Life always has something to offer you, whether it is a success or failure, but we must know how to get up and start fighting again. Just don’t quit. If you look back to all the obstacles that you have faced, there were those cold days where you thought there was no way out, but still, you are here living your life.

2. Just Keep Swimming

There is this phrase, “Life is like a mountain, if you go up, there is no way but to go down, if you are down, there is no way but to climb up.” So, life will not go as you have planned; you must learn to pivot. Stay true to yourself, know your worth, and be your own cheerleader. You can’t always meet other expectations; you will only end up doubting your own value and talents. The thing is you only have to convince yourself, and everyone else will follow the genuineness.

3. Grab Opportunities when they present.

You won’t always know when an opportunity comes to you, but if you do, make sure to grab it. But first, you must know how to calculate the risk. If you are willing to do the job, you must know the pros and cons that you might face while performing the task. And, if you know the amount of risk you will be facing, the decision is all yours.

4. Be shameless and ask

One of the main reasons why we women are somehow not as active as men are is because we are too afraid to raise the question when we were supposed to ask. Ms Gaonkar said that, if you are stuck, be shameless and ask, do research and help yourself. Everyone is busy, don’t just wait for someone to come and solve your problem. You must initiate the chat so that you will get help when it is needed. And yes, you should always be open to give back to the community.

5. Hustle Hustle Hustle

Keep yourself busy, not only professionally, but busy at learning and creating new things. Know yourself, know what exactly you want, and be meticulous with your time. Maintain discipline and consistency.

6. Networking is power.

It is always important to maintain mutual development and growth. Find your purpose and style, surround yourself with those people who are interested in the same domain as you are. Join different communities and build the network. Practice your own introduction. In today’s world, there are many social media platforms, stay connected, and expand your boundaries. Use those media to connect with people. It’s not always about receiving, but you can use those platforms to share the knowledge and skill you have to those who are seeking them.

7. Bias IS REAL

There are more than seven billion people on this planet, and everyone has their own perspective and opinions about life. So, don’t be surprised. People will stereotype you, may judge you based on your color, gender, skill, religion, performance, and even on your nationality. You can’t always point out and say, “wait a minute, you are wrong in this point” and explain how it should be. No, be open, non-judgemental, and keep working hard. Don’t doubt your ability because of their toxic comments.

8. Comfort Zone == Complacement Zone

You worked hard, learned new things, mastered it, and now you are comfortable in what you are doing. It’s okay to be comfortable, but if you can do better, then go for more. It will never disappoint you. Instead, you will learn new things and earn new friends. Technology landscape evolution is very fast; it is a good choice to evaluate your option on what you can do more. And yes, never forget your personal growth. At last, it is all that matters.

9. Beware of Burnout

– Know when to hit pause
– Embrace family time
– It’s a marathon, not a sprint
– Seek expert help if needed, vulnerability is strength.

10. Keep Learning, Success will have to follow

As a tech enthusiast, Ms. Gaonkar says she always had a learner’s attitude. She loves learning new technology and tools. Exploring is what she craves. Vacations are the time for her to explore new techs in the market. Her curiosity and love to learn attitude has helped her to find her career in IT. She suggests that if you strive for excellence & success will follow you.

11. What’s Next?

Sometimes, it takes years to build skills, but your small effort today can lead you to the places that you have dreamed of. So, start pushing in small steps.

About The Author

Trija Thebe is a final-year IT student at Itahari International College. She has a keen interest in Web Development. Besides this, she is also interested in business and entrepreneurship. She believes sharing one’s knowledge and experience to another is a key to change society.

Follow her on LinkedIn

Check out Rohini Goankar session on our YouTube Video


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