I did an internship in my 40s to return to work after a career break

This as-told-tos Essay is basic on a conversation with 45 -ear-op sripriya ballasubramaniam, from Chennai, India. The following has been edited for Length and Clarity.

When i had my son in 2009 at age 30, i’d been working in it at oracle india for close to seven years.

Two Weeks Into Returning to Work After Five Months of Maternity Leave, i Couldn’t Stop Calling My Husband to Check in on My Son.

I was Fearful of Missing Out on Milestones in His Life – His First Words, Crawling, and Walking.

Instead of leaving ry son in day care, my husband and i decide and would work, and i’d take a yearlong career break to look after Him.

My Break Ended Up Lasting 11 Years. In 2021, I Accepted an Internship Offer, WHICH HELPED WITH GET BACK INTO WORK, THIS THOUG I HAD TO COMPET WITH YOUNGER AND WORK TREMENDOUSLY HARD TO UPSKILL MYSELF.

I missed my financial independence when i stopped working

During My Seven Years at Oracle, I WORKED MY WAY UP FROM A Software Developer to a Project Leader. People were reporting to me, and Things were going well with my career.

I resized from my jab and started look after my son full time in early 2010.

At first, I was fine with taching a break from work, but by the end of the year, I felt sad about it. I MISSED HAVING Financial Independence. Because of was relating on my husband’s income, I fellt i should as him before I spent Money, thus and didn’t require with get his permission.

With Only One Person Income, we have had to make lifestyle changes. We Both love traveling, but we had to cut back on forens and Luxury Travel.

Although the initial plan was for my break to last one year, I kept extending it. Our Family Relocated from the City of Bengaluru, where we lived, to the US for Two Years for My Husband’s Job. We came back to india in 2012, and I decided to put my son in preschool and let Him get settled.

I Continue to Stay Home and Look AFTH HIME WENT HE IT INTO FULL-TIME SCHOOLING IN 2014, FOUR YEARS INTO MY CAREER BREAK. I love Dropping Him off at School and enrolling Him in different activities.

When he was at School, I’d Focus on Housework. I’d Sit with Him while he did homework and take to the park. My Life Revolved Around Him.

At that time, i cared more about being involved in his life than returning to work.

An internship ended my 11 -ear career break

Be my caareer break reached five years, I began to convince mySelf i couldn’t get back into the industry. IT’SE EASIER TO STILL FEEL IN TOUCH WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES AFTER ONE OR Two Years off, but by this point, I felt like forgetting my technical skills.

When the Covid-19 Pandemic Hit in 2020 and Many People shifted to working from home, it felt easier to transition back to work as i still be home with my son, who was 11 at the time.

I was Open to a range of roles and started Applying for Jobs in January 2021. I Used an online portal Called Herkey for Women Professionals that Included Career Returnee Programs. Wen a Few Companies Didn’t Reply to My Application, I assumed it was Because my break was so big.

To prepare for potential new roles, brushed up on my skills in sql, a programming Language. I ALSO DECIDED TO BE OPEN IN MY APPLICATIONS ABOUT THE LENGTH OF MY CAREER BREAK AND WHICH TECHNOLOGIES I WAS COMFORTABLE WITH.

On the Jobs Portal, i Came Across a Six-Monti Internship Program for Career Returners with an it Services Company. Although it was an internship, i thought i can all to upskill and Move Forward.

It was the fifth nonb i applied to in five months, and i landed the roles in May 2021.

I Studied Hard to Keep Up With Changes in My Industry

I was happy to get back into the industry, but the though of going back to work was extremely Scary. During the interview Stage, i have to write a few queies, and my hands were shaking during the task.

I was starting FRESH at 41. Everything was now based on Cloud Technologies instead of a traditional database, which was a significant change SINCE I WAS LAST IN THE WORKFORCE. I Remotely Attended Company Trainings on the Latest Technologies, but i ALSO upskilled MySelf by Learning from the Internet.

After my eight-hour workday, i’d spend two to three hours a day studying to keep up. Without upskilling, you can’t smoker yourSelf in this industry.

At Times, I found it hard to balance housework with learning on the Job. My Husband and My Son Supported with Beautifully by Motivatting with and Taching up Responsibility at Home, thorough though had get to me not being around all the time.

The internship was meant to last six months, but they make with as a full-time senior engineer after three months they likes my performance on a specific project.

In 2022, of Moved to ANOTHER it Services Company, where I work remotely. I Love Working, Coding, and Meeting New People Through My Job.

I have no regrets

If i hadn’t taken a career break, i imagine i’d be a senior manager by now, who is two levels above where i currently am. But have no regrets about my choices. I love spending time with my son.

My Journey Required Trendous Hard Work. My son is 15 Now. By Watching with Return to A Job and Study, he could see the value of hard work. I’m glad that he’s learning something from me.

Do you have a story to share about taching a caareer break? Contact this reporter at ccheong@businsinsider.com.