Stretch yourself; you never know what you’ll be able to accomplish.
Throughout my life, I've been taught that almost anything is possible if you work hard enough. First, by watching my grandfather and grandmother tirelessly and with so much passion, work on his Iowa Corn & Soybean farm. Then, by seeing my mother climb the ranks in corporate America with such grace after being hired because of affirmative action, and my father entering into the world of entrepreneurship after already having a long, diverse career of his own.
I guess all of this set me up for the first time I met Dheeraj Pandey, Co-Founder and CEO of DevRev. He asked me if I wanted to stretch myself, like really stretch myself, or if I wanted the next ten years of my career to look like the past ten. I never imagined after a twenty-year career in advertising, retail, and manufacturing with some of the largest names, I'd end up at a one-year-old AI company. The past two years at DevRev have filled me with more knowledge about tech and the world of Generative AI than I could have ever imagined, but that has not come without countless moments of self-doubt.
Luckily, I've always had a love for math and the sciences. Thankfully, I have incredible mentors surrounding me who are willing to teach me. Fortunately, I have my curiosity that drives me to figure it out. But most importantly, I have people around me who push me.
I'll never forget the first time I was asked to host a panel with industry experts on AI. I think I laughed when the topic was proposed. If you would have asked me one year ago if I thought I'd be giving talks about Generative AI, Analytics, Automation, and have a deep passion for understanding how to leverage the intricacies between these elements and how humans work to provide exceptional customer experience, I would have thought you were out of your mind.
I can't possibly begin to imagine the adversity Grace Hopper faced in her career in the 1930s and 1940s as a female pioneer in the computer science industry. I'm inspired by what must have been a woman with an exceptional amount of perseverance and curiosity - who pushed herself to places no person or woman had explored before. And I am honored to be a part of gr.ai.ce as I continue my journey to unravel all the ways AI will touch our lives.
So take the leap. Demand more of yourself. Stretch yourself, and you never know what you might find.
