By Shubhangi Vaidya.

Indian Business & Professional Women (IBPW) and India Community Center (ICC) presented another event of its series focused on exploring careers, "Career Choices for the 21st Century – Re-entering the Workforce: Strategies that Work". The seminar was held at ICC in Milpitas.

The panelists were:

Anu Shukla: Founder and CEO, MyOfferPal, Inc.

After the introductions, Monica Kumar started off the discussion with her secret of being successful in the corporate world and yet having a balanced family life. Monica, a mother of two young kids, said that it is very important to find a flexible company where you have the options like working from home, having flexible hours and can choose part-time versus full-time employment. You should be able to work early or late nights and stop in the afternoons and evenings if you wish to do so. This way you can devote time to kids and family activities and yet maintain your day’s work quota.

Monica also pointed out to be open to new career paths, even if they initially don’t seem appealing or challenging. Once you start working, you can grow into areas of your choice and even make advances in your career. You have to gain your manager’s trust and confidence by establishing your credibility.

Lastly, Monica said that one should never be afraid to ask for help. See if your parents, in-laws, spouse or friends can help out in any ways. If not, then hire help even if it is expensive, it will give you amazing stress-relief. Also, you should always give yourself the “me-time”, where you can relax and unwind. This could be anything like a work-out, yoga class, book-reading, friends-night-out: whatever that refreshes you.

Next, Anu Shukla gave her perspective on how to succeed as a high-tech executive, in spite of having two year old twins at home. She said that you should take some time off from work and get adjusted to the changes in your life before you plunge in again. Once you think through and decide what you want, make sure that your work is close to your home and save valuable time in commuting. She recommended looking for less-demanding roles like being on the board versus taking heavy responsibilities which may demand a lot of traveling and energy. Make sure that you can take your kids to work if need be and always hire a full-time nanny. When you are at work, give it your hundred percent, and when at home, give your family and kids a full hundred percent of yourself; never try to multitask both things together. Anu also emphasized to get help from extended family and spouse.

Lastly, Anu said that you have to look into yourself and see if work makes you a better person on the whole. For her, she thinks that she is not a very good mother without work, but once she started working again, she balanced her work and family, which made her a better mother.

Milpitas Fire Chief, Clare Frank, gave the insider on how it feels to be a woman in an untraditional job for females. Clare said that she never felt like an outsider but others may find it hard to ignore gender and look beyond it. She decided to join the fire academy because she has the passion for it and likes the adrenaline rush. However, on her first day at work, her chief was not too happy to see a woman and underestimated her capabilities. Over the years, Clare built up her credibility and established confidence, respect and trust. Her fellow-employees acknowledged her abilities and she eventually made her way to be the Fire Chief.

Clare advised that you should always do what you are good at. You live your life only once, so don’t be afraid to take risks, otherwise you may spend the rest of your life wondering and regretting.

Colleen Noll talked about her experience working as a school teacher, until she took a leap of fate and decided to start her own Montessori school. She was balancing life with work and two little kids who were just a year apart. She had also just gone back to school to finish her college degree. She mentioned that there is no such thing as not having enough time – right after she had a C-section, within a week she was back to attend her classes. One has to find time to get things done. In spite of having such a busy schedule, she still makes time for her children’s game practices and other activities.

Colleen gave an insight on how rewarding it is to be a teacher and advised mothers who want to get back in the work force to consider it as a career option. It is a great way to be with your kids and still be able to do something fulfilling in life. She also gave brief background on how the concept of Montessori schooling was incepted. It is a formally proven way of teaching by studying children with special needs.

Colleen’s message to the audience was that if you listen to what children say, you will be amazed to actually learn something from them. Their attitude towards life helps you keep your perspective in place and encourages slowing down and taking some time to think about things that really matter as a human being.

Dilip Saraf thought that his stories were neither as inspirational nor heroic as compared to the rest of the speakers. After being an engineer for 25 years, he decided to leave the corporate world and became a Technology Consultant and later, a Marketing Consultant for a while. He was also a Leadership Development coach in between. Finally, after making four career changes, this is his fifth career as a "Career and Life Coach." He has written five books on jobs, careers and corporate success.

Dilip talked about how people find it difficult to completely reinvent themselves due to mental apprehension and blocks. He advised that one should shift gear from “I am what I have done” to “I am who I am”. Most people never pause to think who they are and never discover their true passion and creativity. Dilip has a lot of advice and job search tips posted on SimplyHired.com under the forums section. He briefly discussed the "Ten Commandments for Re-entering the Workforce" that are very effective and popular.

The event was then concluded by a brief Q&A session where the audience was able to ask for specific advice from the panelists.