There was a time when tech companies were dominated by men, and breaking into this boys’ club was an achievement of sorts for women. While things are improving for the better and the industry continues to iron out issues like gender pay gap and parity, women like Neetu Bansal are taking steady steps to make their mark in the field.
Neetu, who hails from Sri Ganganagar, a small town in Rajasthan, credits Salesforce’s Trailhead – a free, gamified, online platform that empowers everyone to learn in-demand skills and earn résumé -worthy credentials – for helping her realise her dreams. Today, Neetu works as a Salesforce Developer for a big consultancy firm in Gurugram.
But, this journey was not without hurdles. Neetu grew up in a traditional joint family where educating girls was never a priority. “There was a general notion that girls were only meant to get married and bear children. However, I could never succumb to the thought. I wanted to achieve something big. Thankfully, my parents came in support and agreed to send me to an engineering college in Jaipur.”
However, there was a condition – she had to pay for her education herself. So, Neetu took an education loan and enrolled herself in college. Embarking on a trailblazing journey Neetu secured a job with Jaipur-based software company, Metacube, through campus placement.
While Neetu was looking forward to working with Java, she was put into the Salesforce Development team. “At first, I was hesitant because I had no idea how to work on it. Meanwhile, all my friends were working in areas they studied.” She began learning about Salesforce communities and attending Salesforce conferences in various cities.
However, she truly mastered Salesforce only when she began spending a few hours on Trailhead every day, completing new modules. Neetu says the best part about learning Salesforce on Trailhead is that it’s always available. There’s 24/7 guidance and ample resources, not to mention that Salesforce is a hot skill and opportunities are plenty. The Lightning module on Trailhead was one of the most memorable and useful one she learned.
Read Neetu’s full story here.
