The year is 2010, the place – Maastricht, where Sireesha’s husband was doing his PhD. Then, she gave birth to their first child and she really enjoyed her little time off work while focusing on her family, newborn and exploring the new place. However, after a year she felt that Maastricht is really nice but small and restricting in terms of job opportunities. Therefore, she decided to move back to India, where she can start working again while taking care of her child. “It was alright for some time, but the kid was growing, and we (my husband and I) felt that we should think of a way in which we could be all together, as the distance was not a long-term solution for sure.”
In 2014 Sireesha moved back to the Netherlands, gave birth to her second child and together with her family moved to Eindhoven. “Eindhoven is a bigger city, with more opportunities for sure.”, adds Sireesha as she explains that she immediately got a job in a big bike company as a Testing Coordinator. “I mentored university graduates and really enjoyed the work that I did with them.” Some time after that, Sireesha started working as a Technical Support Manager for a stock exchange company. “I got promoted to Technical Account Manager.”, adds Sireesha. “This was one of the most important work experiences in my life as I got to know more about the Dutch culture and not only – I worked with a wide variety of people, leveled up my technical skills, and grew as a professional who can handle different complicated tasks and situations and solve them with ease.”
“In 2019 the stock exchange company was not performing well and as per the advice of the management, my colleagues and I decided that it is time for us to start looking for new career opportunities. This is how I got to know about ICT Group and Strypes! And… I got the job. Luckily enough, a few months before that we purchased a house that turned out to be a walking distance to the ICT office… no more traveling to work, I thought!”, smiles Sireesha.
“I joined Strypes as a Product Owner, taking care of one team. But after a few months I was feeling that this is not the path I can develop my full professional potential. So, I talked to my manager about how I felt and they offered me the Technical Outosurce Manager role instead, as I already had the needed technical background.”
Everything was just the way Sireesha wanted it to be when her husband got a job opportunity in Canada and they decided that it’s a chance they cannot just miss on. This is how Sireesha and her family moved to Canada. “I knew I was leaving a team that felt like a family here in Strypes, but I also knew that the doors are always open for me if we decide to come back… and we did.”, remembers Sireesha. After spending some time in Canada, Sireesha and her husband realized that at this point of their lives this is not the place for them and their kids to thrive. “We decided to move back to the Netherlands because.. We simply were happier there – we had a house, a circle of close friends, etc.”
The family moved back to the Netherlands in 2022 and Sireesha immediately called her manager in Strypes, who was happy to hear from her. Then, she returned to Strypes, this time taking care of various projects.
“I am now learning to get the bigger picture, trying to manage multiple accounts, not only one Department/Account, as I did before.”
And what does a regular working day of a Technical Outsource Manager look like?
- Every day is different but a typical one usually includes coordinating and managing different projects. I work closely with the Project Managers of each of these projects from Strypes side and also work with the Project Leads from the clients’ side. Apart from that I also do various other tasks, as there is always something going on in the projects – urgent things, escalations, issues, etc. It is my responsibility to make sure that both parties of the projects are aligned with the action plans we’ve prepared. I am also having the bigger picture on the projects in terms of their status – I make sure that there are enough action plans in place for the future work. Apart from that I need to make sure that all teams I am dealing with have enough work, and I do not only look for the current or the next quarter, but rather for a year ahead! Also, I do look at new opportunities for new projects, as well.
And what about Sireesha in her free time? How do you prefer spending your time off work?
- I am in a foreign land and my immediate family is not here, so I have to make sure that my friends here are my family! That is why I try to socialize a lot. And of course – as a mother of two, I am quite busy with the children too although they are not little kids anymore. My son plays guitar, he is doing quite well! My daughter has just started picking her taste into it. My son is also into tennis, while my daughter is into classical dancing. I am sharing that because almost every working (and not only) day includes picking, dropping, coordinating the kids to their classes… but I am good at that as a professional, so it is not a big deal for me to implement my professional skills into our daily routine. (laughs)
What is your secret of successfully combining a career in the IT field with being a mom of two?
- It should come from yourself! You should feel that you can do both. Of course, I do have my tough days when I think that it is too much for me and I should not do that much. But tomorrow is always a new day with new thoughts and I always tell myself: you are doing great and you managed it all well so far, so you can do it again . And I believe that you should love what you are doing, otherwise it will feel like a burden.
What do you like the most about Strypes?
- We are like a family here, we are really taking care of each other. There is a healthy competition, we are motivating each other. If someone sees an opportunity that, for instance, will benefit you as a professional, they will always be happy to make you part of it, not afraid to share it with you. If a colleague knows that I can better deal with certain tasks, they will always call me (or vice versa) and I do not accept it as a burden because we do not compete with each other, we support each other and that is a healthy working environment in my opinion.
One more thing that Sireesha is extremely happy about is that because her work requires talking to various people, even unknown ones. She had to get out of her comfort zone as she was afraid of talking to new people. “I am really proud of myself because of that.”
- And as a final thought, could you describe Strypes in 5 words:
- Fun, flexible, collaborative, motivating, fast-paced.
Did you enjoy Sireesha’s story? Find out more Stories in our blog.