This is my number. A piece of career advice for young people | Wilnesh News

Mullally was born in New York and spent his early years on the East Coast. Like many children of immigrants, her fate was different from that of her parents.

Her childhood was spent in developed countries where she received a decent education, unlike her mother who grew up in India.

“We come from a family where child marriage is common,” she said. “My grandmothers got married when they were two and 14.”

Murali said her mother, the eldest of seven children, was bright and completed high school at 12, but she was still expected to marry rather than get an education.

She was eager to continue her education, but her father only wanted to pay for their eldest son, their fourth child, to go to college.

“There were three girls before him, so my mom really felt it was unfair,” Murali said. “She wanted to go to school and they wanted her to get married, so she did some things that were pretty revolutionary at the time.”

Murali’s mother went against her family’s wishes and started taking classes on her own in the community. Later, she joined the Indian Army as a nurse, which became her ticket to the United States on a nurse visa.

“So, she came to the United States, finished college, and ended up having a pretty stellar career as a biostatistician” to the point where she was able to send money back to her siblings in India so they could continue their studies as well. Murali said.

“I often say this when I talk about her, it’s similar to what we do in the reading room with girls’ education – her decision not to get married really had a ripple effect for an entire generation,” she said .

Today, Mullali’s aunts, uncles and cousins ​​are able to pursue their education and pave their own paths to success, all because of “a shift in the importance of education at home, especially for girls.” Mulally said.

Murali grew up listening to these stories, which had a profound impact on him.

Naturally, she took after her mother and was a star student. By 22, she had earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree in biostatistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and was working full-time at a major pharmaceutical company.

Growing up in this environment, Mulally was very achievement-oriented.

“I think a lot of what defined me early in life was… I kept my head down and learned,” she said. “You know, getting a degree, demonstrating ability, and realizing that I have the privilege of choosing how to apply those skills in a very different way than (my mom) did.”

Mullally was working at a large pharmaceutical company in clinical trial support and data analysis, but she realized she was not being fulfilled.

“I was probably in my early 20s, had a great job, and was looking around for the first time and thinking: ‘Is this really what I’m going to do for the next 45 years?'”

During this time, she also worked toward earning a PhD in South Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. After many conversations and explorations, Mullally decided to shift her research into the social realm.

As part of her research, she began traveling to India, where she spoke directly with locals to learn more about voting patterns.

While she was there, she gained more insight than she expected.

“I think some of the most meaningful (experiences) were really when we surveyed parents… when we talked about the expectations of the administration – it became expectations for me,” she said.

Parents would ask her about basic needs, such as putting a light on the street so children would be safer walking around at night, or building a school closer to the community so they wouldn’t have to travel so far.

“In the end, all the conversations we could have…the various concepts we applied over the course of our PhD were not as important as the fact that I couldn’t find a light on the street, as I would have given everything to prepare Okay, let’s have lights on that street.

From that point on, Mullari decided she wanted to do work directly related to social impact and community development, and to this day, that’s exactly what she does. Under her leadership, Room to Read also remains committed to being an organization that implements and makes directly measurable change.

Murali reflects on some of the most important lessons she has learned throughout her career:

“What I try to share with other people is that we are not limited by what has come before.”

“Humans, if you master the basics… you are capable of a lot more than you really think. So, I always tell people, when you think you’ve reached your limit, push yourself a little further.”

On reflection, Mulally believes that hard work combined with a bold streak led her to become a leader.

“I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m willing to put in the time and I’m very achievement-oriented,” she said. “I no longer worry about: ‘Let’s make incremental changes and don’t take risks.'”

“I believe these fundamental rights should be a given, and we must take bold action to realize them,” Murali continued. “So I think there’s a level of boldness that’s emerged in this part of my career that may allow me to push Room to Read faster than I have in the past.”

Mulally has one important piece of advice for young people: “I think it’s good to plan, but don’t overplan. Something like a GPS will help, but don’t be afraid to do some off-road activities.”

“Ultimately, having really strong, practical skills that you can apply is really how I started my career because you can’t completely predict, especially in this day and age, all the different job opportunities and career paths that are going to be there in the next five to 10 years. Launched within.

She adds that it’s valuable to develop these skills early and learn how to adapt and use them to complete different functions.