Akash Tandon

My last working day was January 2013. I had resigned as my husband got an on-site opportunity and I decided to move to the US with him. It was not of course an easy decision to give up on a career for which I had worked hard, and my parents had sacrificed a lot to provide the best possible education to me and my sister. Also, mind you, no one asked me to quit my job. My husband was against it, but it was my decision. I was a naive 23-year-old girl who wanted to dedicate her time to family and didn’t know the importance of being financially independent.

So, we moved to a new country for a new start but slowly it began to hit me what I had given up. I would see everyone going to work, planning their career, and working on amazing projects, and I on the other hand nothing to look forward to. I started despising my choice but now my family had already gotten used to me being a housewife. They couldn’t fathom the idea of me going back to work, but my husband understood what was missing despite a comfortable life. He encouraged me to start applying and so I began. I haven’t been in touch with all the nuance technologies for years and hence cracking the interviews was immensely tough. Everyone had already given up their hopes and started telling it is a waste of time. Again, my husband stepped in and put a deadline that if I don’t get a job by 31st March,2016, I need not go on with the process. Days passed and I was getting dis-hearten with each rejection but then, exactly on 31st March, I received an offer.

I started working again but it took a lot of time to get a grasp on new technologies and processes. My family also came around for support. My younger sister constantly motivated me toward life goals. My father-in-law used to pick up and drop me off at the office when it got difficult to commute while I was pregnant. I have a 6-year-old son now and I have realized what being financially independent means to shop anything online without anyone’s permission. :P. (Kidding). It is sure, difficult to be a working mom and to manage everything but with the help of my husband we are making it work. I don’t regret my time in the US as I made friends for a lifetime while hosting parties at home as I wasn’t working. The time off gave me a chance to reflect on the potential I have.