As documented by Seema Bhandarkar
I’m a senior research scientist with over a decade of experience. I earned a master’s degree with a specialization in microbiology in 2004. I started my career at a clinical stage biotech company, Aurigene Discovery, and then spent 10 years at Syngene. I then returned to Aurigene as a program manager.
Expanding My Horizons
I decided to upskill because I felt that I needed an upgrade. I started with Simplilearn’s PMP® certification and then went on to complete multiple other courses. While upskilling in project management was in alignment with my role as a senior scientist, I realized that all of my current reading was only related to the scientific field. I decided to expand my knowledge base by upskilling in the area of digital marketing with Simplilearn’s Digital Marketing 101 course. Learning the fundamental concepts of digital marketing, along with marketing for mobile and marketing analytics, provided an introduction to a field completely outside of my own. From there, I continued my upskilling journey by completing the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course.
Flexible Learning Sealed the Deal
Adding a learning plan into an already busy personal and professional life requires a strategy. Simplilearn’s self-paced course model gave me the freedom to choose when and where I completed the courses. While I did not work from home for long during the 2020 lockdowns, I was able to fit upskilling into my days. Since I had a morning shift, I would have time in the afternoon to go through the course material and videos.
I credit the flexible learning formats for helping me balance learning with home and work, even with a full-time job, family, and simultaneously completing an MBA program. While cooking or doing other household chores, I’d play the videos on the side and simultaneously go about my day while upskilling. The content design was great because all the videos were self-explanatory. The information came across so understandably that it actually allowed me to do something else while still listening and learning.