Time to break your break time.
By: Kavitha Devibalan
Tags: Saas Tools, Ipaas Solution, Womensentrepreneurship, Hiring, Startup

Big Opportunity to Restart your career.

Many women choose to take a break from their professional life, thinking it’s a stopover and not a full stop. There are lots of responsibilities to deal with such as marriage, relocation, childcare, and elderly care, that wins over the professional responsibilities. I am here to tell you how I won back my career despite the turbulence.

About Me

I am a mom of 2 kids. Yes, this is the first and foremost intro of every woman, than our name, qualification, experience and it is a BitterTruth. Okay, let us go on…

I am Kavitha Sugumaran, an IT engineer from Anna University, then a software developer and now the co-founder and CEO of @OAppS.xyz

Life @Zoho Corp

Zoho Corporation, Chennai

After graduation, I started working @Zoho Corp, an absolute employee-friendly organisation. I got the real freedom to learn and improve myself with my career. Thanks to @Zoho Corp for providing such an environment. This helped me to have a work-life balance, especially after marriage. Then I took a year-long break from work for my first child’s delivery and rejoined Zoho. The arrival of my first kid didn’t stop me from working, but here comes the speed bump for my professional life.

Fairy-family time

My family got relocated, so I had no choice but to quit my lovable job from Zoho. Now pro turned full-time Mom and spent almost 2 wonderful years as a home maker. Then I suddenly felt that “I am too tired to be a lazy housewife. I will take a break and go get a job”…

Journey to @Zarget

Zarget (now @freshWorks CRM), Chennai

As soon as I decided to work, I realized that once you are away from the workforce it is not easy to regain the lost confidence and write the next chapter. However, I got a golden chance to join my brother’s startup Zarget (now @freshWorks CRM). Thanks to @santhosh @naveen @arvind for giving me the chance to start the second innings.

In Zarget, my role was the Head of QA. Zarget taught me more responsibilities over a normal office work. Almost enjoyed the job like “Enakku Raja’va naan vaazhuren… Edhuvum illanaalum aaaluren….. “.

Motherhood 2.0

The one we enjoy the most will not last for long, this unproven fate crossed again. I had to quit my job to bring up my second kid. Those colorful memories of work culture and busy-time scenes transformed to stereo life. Stay-at-home mom is really not a bad badge to wear but it’s the toughest role to play.

Here starts the best worst times with tonnes of questions like “Why should I miss my career?” “Will I be a good fit for the IT industry anymore?” “Why this? Why that?”. And topped up with a bunch of enquiries from our friends & family “How do you feel as a full-time HomeMaker?” “Do you enjoy staying at home leaving your job?” I am not alone but the struggle is real for all career break pros. We need to handle lots of mood swings.

Birth of OAppS

“I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.” — Oscar Wilde.

It best suited me, as I was thinking hard ever to engage my time worthy. Than choosing some unknown angel, chosen the same known devil Software Industry to work with. However, the biggest question is, who the hell will employ me after these much breaks.

In this state of confusion, I caught a fish. Yes! that is a Golden fish and it’s ‘Marketplace applications’. Researching about the Marketplace apps is the major torch light for my professional path. Gave lots of thoughts and finally registered a Software company OAppS Technologies Private limited. And started developing Marketplace apps from home. Out of blues, we got an enquiry from a customer, at our POC stage of our debut app which gave me a tremendous courage and confidence.

Kudos to my sisters @kiruba , @shanthi, @elaiyarani and my better half @devibalan for joining with me to develop OAppS Technologies. Proud to say that we are Ex-professionals turned Professional experts now.

Today OAppS, a bootstrapped company, Zoho’s Authorised Marketplace Partner. We are a 6 members team, released more than 15 Marketplace Apps and 500+ installations across the world. Finally, we are more happy to announce our 200th customer. Big thanks to my family, @santhosh, @dinesh and my friends for supporting me morally and emotionally through my stressful times. @Naveen @AparnaNaveen OAppS’s 200th customer announcement story is totally an inspiration of your blogs. Thanks to your marvellous blogging.

We love our journey and would like to join hands with career break professionals.

Are you a super smart, super techie and super tired? Would you like to work with us in the early stage of OAppS and grow with us? If do so, contact me @ kavitha@oapps.xyz or send in a mail to recruit@oapps.xyz