Ways to Flex Your Curiosity and Grow Your Career

All my life, I have been driven by curiosity.

My 27 years of professional peregrinations have powered my passion to explore, working like a superpower in every creative territory I've ventured into—from advertising, analytics and marketing to coaching, teaching, training and quality development. Throughout my journey, I realized that all that I learned unexpectedly converged to help me succeed in the roles I’ve been playing in the last few years, and now my role at Accenture.

Feeding My Passions

I started as a copywriter for an ad agency in 1988 when I was still in college, finishing my classes from 6 to 10 a.m. and dashing off to pen my overflowing thoughts and ideas. A few years later, my professional and personal expeditions to the Middle East, England, Europe, North America, Russia, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China gave me the freedom to flex my curiosity like never before.

I soaked in different cultures, political scenarios, human behaviours and their deep-rooted causes. These insights kept feeding my passion for writing and helped me bring societal issues and digital futures to the forefront through my columns for Indian and global media such as the Indian Express, The Hindu, The Economic Times and the Huffington Post, to name just a few.

A New Canvas With Greater Impact

My return to India in 2003 was steered by a long association with a leading communications services company. I played diverse roles in my 11+ years with the company, and this is where I stepped into the exciting world of digital marketing.

Today, I’m pursuing digital marketing at a much larger scale with Accenture—reimagining the future for our clients and driving social change in the world.

Having spent most of my career working for large organizations, I re-evaluated the evolution of global client partnerships and the need for a robust, dynamic infrastructure to enable large-scale transformations. At this point, I felt the urge to adopt a multidimensional canvas that would converge all my learnings to seamless use and greater impact.

While Accenture’s global impact is shaping the digital landscape, its diversity and commitment to investing in the future were key reasons for my keenness to be a part of it. What motivated me most was the unique culture that the company is committed to and lives by, percolating it across the board to every employee.

It’s a culture of deep, insight-based innovation, modelling the future and respect for the individual, empowering people to higher levels of contribution. Accenture’s values align with my own, and I am proud to belong here.

Write Your Career Narrative Carefully

Moving from communications to digital marketing was a step in the right direction for my career growth. But to grow any career, here are a few things to bear in mind.

• Stay competitive and in the new. Following or chasing irrelevant and archaic ways will impair your vision for a very long and fruitful career.
• Don’t start by looking for a job. Start by understanding your career and life goals. When you’re able to marry the two, you’ll know you’ve lived your life well.
• Evaluate your needs every step of the way. Remember, you own your career narrative. Nobody else can write it for you.
• Be a learner every day. The digital landscape is uncontrollably dynamic. Keep yourself relevant and thinking ahead.

Accenture’s strong cultural fit was a major reason why I wanted to work here. If you feel you’re in a place that is purely driven by profits and growth, and not by an individual or collective interests, then somewhere along the way, that relationship will eventually fall apart.

I’m currently enjoying Accenture’s rich learning modules, the latest thinking of our leaders and the innocent, yet deep questions of my 12-year-old son Yashovat, which feed my curiosity each day.

Want a great career? Be open to new experiences—and stay curious, always.

Succeed at work and fulfil your passions by bringing your true, authentic self to work. Find an opportunity with our Accenture team today.