Us President My Father Was I Am an Engineer and My Daughter Is Studying Art History

By Editorial Team

If life is about choices, then applied science, art, and family are seemingly three disparate life-path decisions. But not for Radhika Shankar, group managing director of Applications Applied science with the Synopsys Customer Success Grouping. As a technologist, Radhika graduated with a chief'south caste in electrical engineering and today manages a team of 40 applications engineers, helping customers solve technical challenges using Synopsys tools. In 2019, she was recognized with the YWCA Tribute to Women Award, honoring her meaning contributions as a woman leader in engineering. As an artist, she dances and teaches professionally and is the founder and artistic director of the PadmaRatna Dance Company. In 2003, she was awarded the Bharata Nritya Seva Mani title for her contributions to classical Indian dance by Nrithyodaya, a premier dance establishment in Chennai, India. Radhika has also taken the family path. She is the mother to three young women who are accomplished in their ain correct: a corporate lawyer, an investor relations professional, and a college educatee studying cerebral and data science and trip the light fantastic.

While Radhika appears to have had it all, it was not necessarily all at once. Neither was her journey straight: there take been tradeoffs, steps back, and resets along the way. And, while her achievements are rooted in a loftier caste of work ethic, focus, and talent, she is also grateful for her strong support network that helped make information technology possible.

On her journeying, Radhika has kept each of her three abiding passions—essential aspects of her identity—firmly in her grasp. And over fourth dimension, she has learned to weave them together, laying each in their turn, like the strands of a complect—stronger together. As a part of Women'southward History Month and our Q&A serial for International Women's Day, nosotros recently sabbatum downwardly with Radhika to discuss inclusion and diversity, and her work on the exciting new Synopsys Returnship plan.

Hither is what Radhika had to say about work, art, life, and having it all:

Q. How did you decide to go an engineer?

A. Growing up, I had a great passion for math and science, only I too had a passion for dance. I did well in dance competitions. I performed in my school, and I represented the government of India traveling all the way to Greece to perform. By the time I reached twelfth grade, I told my dad how much I enjoyed dance, and he permit me know that in our household academics was number one. He knew that I enjoyed dancing and performing, and he and my mother supported it, only my father likewise told me it could not be a full-time thing.

My trip the light fantastic toe instructor, who had made a career as a full-time dancer, acknowledged my passion for dance, but she also pointed out my love of mathematics. Her sincere advice was to continue to dance, but to pursue technology as a career, especially with my strong grades and my desire to be an engineer.

I had a conservative upbringing, and my male parent would not let me get abroad from home to study. There was only one higher in my city to study engineering. My dad said that if I got into that schoolhouse, I could pursue engineering; otherwise, there were a lot of schools in my town where I could major in math, physics, or chemistry. So, I applied to College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University in applied applied science scientific discipline, and very luckily, I got into the program. I was happy virtually that. While I love math, physics, and chemistry, I did not want to major in them. I wanted to be an engineer.

Q. What was information technology similar to build a career in tech and heighten a family at the same time?

A. I was registered and excited about my electrical engineering master's program at San Jose State Academy when I learned I was going to be a mother for the starting time fourth dimension. I had a newborn past the time I started the program. Thankfully, my family came to assistance. My parents lived with u.s.a. for the beginning year of the program, and my in-laws lived with us for the 2d.

Subsequently graduation, I accepted a position as a design engineer at Intel simply presently after, I had to relocate to the Due east coast for personal reasons. When I told the plan director this, she said I could take a go out, but by the fourth dimension this leave was over, I was pregnant with my second daughter. The programme managing director was very accommodating and said I could remain on my exit of absence, simply I decided that for my circumstances it was all-time to exit Intel and focus on my family.

I had worked very hard to become an engineer and leaving wasn't an easy decision. When I got pregnant with my second baby early on in my career at Intel, I had my toddler at home, also. I besides had to consider the barrier of being a remote worker on the East coast, which wasn't and so common back then. Remote work a generation ago was isolating and difficult. All of these factors came together to help me with my conclusion to postpone my career.

I returned to the workforce after a iii-year suspension, which was not easy because technology moves so fast and three years away from it is like an eternity. Somewhen, I was hired and then promoted to pb a team of people. And as I was ramping into this new function, guess what? Child number three came along. In addition, Avanti, the company I worked for at the time, was caused by Synopsys. New management role. New baby. Acquisition. This was a lot of alter in shut order. With my third child, I didn't leave the workforce, but I decided to take a step back into an individual contributor part as an applications engineer to aid manage my responsibilities.

This decision was right for me at the fourth dimension. But and so, i day… my girls grew up. When demands on the home front eased because the children were in loftier school, information technology was time for me to jump dorsum into the leadership track. At first, I became a technical lead and my advocacy after that was straightforward: managing director, senior managing director, director, group manager.

Q. What helps ease the transition back into the workforce afterwards a pause?

A. The most important thing is to accept confidence that yous can make it professionally. If you have that, the kids, the daycare, those things can exist managed. Become a nanny if you can. Get somebody to pick them upwardly. Figure out something. Do what yous must to get it managed. Self-dubiety is natural after a break, but whatever you practise, don't give into it. If you practise, you'll never come back into the workforce.

Another important part of the mix in transitioning dorsum for me was the potent support from my husband and from my family unit. We did not accept rigid roles around cooking or other household chores. If the kids were hungry, the person who fabricated our dinner was the showtime to walk through the door in the evening. As a family unit, you are a team. And as a team, yous may have roles with responsibilities—you accept care of this, I'll care of that—all that's fine, but be flexible and work together.

Q. What is the Synopsys Returnship?

A. At Synopsys, I'm the executive council representative for Inclusion and Multifariousness for the Synopsys Client Success Group. In this role, I piece of work on returnships and internships to bring in more than diverse talent. The Synopsys Returnship brings people back into the workforce who take been out of it for a minimum of 2 years. Because I had been through re-entry after a intermission, I knew I could assistance others. When Alessandra Costa, senior vice president of Client Success, who leads the effort, told me about the program, it prompted me to create my kickoff-ever posting on LinkedIn. The post got a lot of views and date. I had CEOs comment on it and even five husbands who separately sent me their wives' resumes with notes. For example, one husband said that their wife lacked the confidence to send me her resume straight, simply that he knew she could do information technology, and he was going to back her up. This overwhelming response showed me that my post had striking a chord, that returnships are a valuable resource to access swell untapped talent out there. In the last calendar month, we have extended offers within my squad to people who will be re-launching their careers at Synopsys. I'm thrilled to welcome them.

Q. What does breaking bias look like from your perspective?

A. Xx years ago I had an excellent manager, who was very kind and watched out for me. One fourth dimension, a very exciting project came along, and he told me that I was the perfect fit for it, but he wasn't going to assign it to me considering I had just had my third child. He felt it would be as well much for me to have it on. That was considered adept management back so. Today, things are dissimilar. If this same matter happened today, proficient direction would exist to break that bias that he held past asking me. Instead of assuming what I could or could not handle, let me decide whether the projection is too much for me.

I'm glad awareness is growing, including my ain. What I assumed was okay back then is not okay anymore. However, we can exercise more. Breaking bias is not simply endemic by the leaders, the women, and other select segments of society, but everyone. And we need more than diverse voices involved in the conversation in order to break bias. That's how nosotros tin can create a better globe for our future generations.

Q: Can you tell me about a formative role model?

A. When I worked at Intel, I looked upwardly to Andy Grove, the CEO, a great deal. I met him in the parking lot once. And I didn't know he was Andy Grove. Intel at the time had a policy where you had to be at piece of work by viii am. If you were tardy three times, it was an event. It was quite strict.

I had a big morning already earlier piece of work. It was raining. I had just dropped my daughter off at daycare, and I was going to be tardily. I was running through the Intel parking lot and past a man who says to me, "Oh, somebody's late." My response every bit I scurried past? "Yeah, yes. I don't know why they have this silly policy anyway." Then I realized I was speaking to Andy Grove.

Thankfully, he was laughing. He said, you know, I see you lot're running, merely if you had washed something 15 minutes earlier and were prepared, you wouldn't be running around. I still greatly adore Andy Grove. I've read all his books, and I've learned and so much from his wisdom and working at Intel.

Everybody wants a mentor, someone who has gone before and who tin can show the mode. I wanted a mentor who was a technologist and an artist at once. It was challenging to discover one mentor who could guide me in engineering and arts. I decided that it'south okay to be the path maker, to lead the style and testify that it is doable.

Today I'm a technologist, artist, and a mother. My dance has morphed into something bigger—I apply it as my opportunity to give back to the community, and I have taught my girls to utilise their dance this way, too. I practise a lot of philanthropy work through fine art. I've washed performances for fundraising. For example, when in that location was a terrible seismic sea wave that hit Bali and the neighboring countries on the Indian Ocean, I did a fundraiser with my dance team. Then, when nosotros were coming back from COVID, I choreographed and performed a dance piece chosen waves of Joy as Life Reopens. I always expect for opportunities to contribute to just and needy social causes from my income equally a dance teacher. It is important to me to give back and to railroad train the youngsters to lead for the next generation.

If you lot would like to hear more of Radhika's wisdom, delight join usa March 30 at SNUG Silicon Valley, where she will be speaking in our Spotlight Panels session, The New Dynamism: Women in Engineering and the Vast Opportunity Ahead. A virtual feel, this yr'due south SNUG briefing is open to registered Synopsys users.

In Case You Missed It

• Q&A with Alessandra Costa, SVP, Customer Success Group: Celebrating International Women's Day
• Q&A with Synopsys' Erika Varga McEnroe: Achieving Success Through Confidence, Bravery, and Preparedness
• Q&A with Julie Nelson, Senior Employee Communications Specialist, on the Ability of Yes

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Source: https://blogs.synopsys.com/from-silicon-to-software/2022/03/29/radhika-shankar-qa-womens-history-month/

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