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Kanchan Gupta's Relaunch Success Story

By Rochna Pant

Kanchan gupta

Relauncher Success Story

July 2023

Kanchan Gupta relaunched as an Technical Account Manager at her dream company Red Hat in June 2022. A technology enthusiast, Kanchan took an extended break after the birth of her first child.  Kanchan's pivotal moment came in 2019 when her daughter was curious about why is Kanchan not working as she is so intelligent! That led to a longer discussion about intelligence vs education vs wisdom but it planted a seed in Kanchan's mind about getting intentional about returning to work 

She was fortunate enough to be interviewed by highly professional and meritocratic organizations that set her up for her dream job.

Click here to view the one-page profile we compiled to highlight Kanchan's career path!

Red Hat certifications/upskilling were pivotal in my return to work journey

  • From the very beginning, I was drawn to the power of open-source solutions and the incredible community that surrounds Red Hat. The principles of collaboration, innovation, and transparency truly resonated with me. 
  • For those who may not be familiar, the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) certification is one of the most prestigious credentials in the IT industry. It signifies a deep understanding and mastery of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and other advanced technologies within the Red Hat ecosystem
Kanchan's Red Hat certification journey

A break does not take that foundational experience out of you. Managing kids is harder than managing servers! I realised I was more opinionated after having kids. I never was apologetic for my career break. I remember getting chosen for an interview in 2020 and mentioned clearly- Please don't focus on my break. I have upskilled, look at that side of me and the interview rounds went really well.

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What are you most proud of accomplishing during your return to work experience?

  1. I'm proud of the fact that I was able to get back up to speed and felt like I had never left, within a really short period of time.
  2. I credit that to my strong sense of commitment and discipline. When I commit to something, I go all in. There was a time in my life when I had put on a lot of weight due to some hormonal issues. I lost 80 lbs in 7 months with insane discipline.
  3. The RHCA certification is no easy feat. It required dedication, countless hours of studying, hands-on lab work, and staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends. But every moment spent learning was worth it because it allowed me to expand my knowledge, deepen my skills, and grow as a technology professional.
  4. I made it a point to be the Subject Matter Expert during all my interviews! And there were comments like- "It doesn't look like you have had a career break! People are struggling to get these certifications and you cracked these with such aplomb" 

I am more productive after my career break. I feel so charged up with the validation I have received from my workplace. I continue to upskill myself and stay abreast with all new technologies after work. At home when everybody wants to watch TV in the night, I want to dabble in technology 🤓💻

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Did this story motivate you or inspire you!?

Do you have a relauncher success story of your own to share with us and the rest of the relauncher community?

Sharing your inevitable success is a great way to give back as your story will inspire and motivate other relaunchers, especially if your story is not the typical story that is told.

It is our hope that all relaunchers are able to see themselves reflected in relauncher success stories as we all know how important representation is. We respectfully ask you to share only the details of your relaunch you are comfortable sharing, but to indeed share your story with us so we can be sure to document and feature a more diverse population of relauncher experiences, background and identities.

Submit your #iRelaunched success story here!

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