When I completed my higher secondary in 2004, every girl in my neighbourhood wanted to, or was forced to, become a B.Sc. nurse. But my home was different. My parents supported me to follow my heart. As a girl, I never faced discrimination. My parents were never authoritative; they always prioritised my choices and dreams.

I loved the idea of being a chef and hoped to work in renowned restaurants. But my Malayalam teacher, Jibu Thomas, suggested that I could be a Teacher, Lawyer, or Journalist. The first two didn’t interest me, but journalism did. Strong language skills in English and Malayalam fueled this new direction. I gave up a B.Sc. hotel management seat and enrolled in BA Communicative English, which shaped my goals. Pursuing an MS in Mass Communication in Bangalore, I became interested in creative media, but the 2008 recession shifted my path. I entered journalism with ‘The Malayala Manorama’, starting as a trainee and leaving as an assistant producer. Afterwards, I freelanced for four years, enjoying ad production, anchoring, and program creation, before returning as a senior sub-editor at Mathrubhumi News. Many changes unfolded over nine years, leading to a new turning point.

Finding the love of my life marked a new chapter. My husband worked in Qatar, and neither of us wanted a long-distance relationship. Leaving the newsroom, I looked forward to a new country, even as the Arab blockade limited job prospects. Motherhood began quickly and became my focus. When my child started daycare, I refreshed my skills—blogging, translation, and content writing—then picked up freelance jobs, gaining financial independence. The COVID era gave me time to work with reputable brands and enjoy my family.

2022 was a fascinating year for me. Qatar was hosting the FIFA World Cup. I was never a sports enthusiast, but I still wanted to grab the opportunity to volunteer for an international event, which is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I knew that it could take my career to the next level. Soon after completing the first steps for volunteering, two pink lines changed my fate. yes our, our little fairy was getting ready to make a grand entry during the World Cup. Again, my priorities changed. My career has always been sidelined; nevertheless, the smile of my daughter was worth every sacrifice. I decided to continue my blogging career along with baby care routines

I still thought of finding a work-from-home content writer job in Qatar, but destiny had other plans. I came down to Kerala for my baby girl’s baptismal, and a few days before we boarded our flight back, my husband told me that it’s time to move back as his company decided to handle the project offline. It was heartbreaking for me; I had to leave the home I had arranged, the people I had, and a place of my own. It was a blow to my mental health, which was already weak due to postpartum.

Home was never the one I left. no career, no friends, two kids, and a huge career gap. I didn’t know what to do. I tried a few jobs, but balancing home and career was challenging. I felt lost and regretted leaving my career, which I loved most, when I tried to return. Some said a career gap can’t be accepted, some others said we don’t have openings for someone with experience. I stopped taking freelance work due to cheap bargaining. People bargain from 10 ps/ word to 50ps/word, which made me feel insulted. Every door was closed. Then a friend of mine suggested digital marketing. I decided to grab the opportunity and joined a class. But it was similar to learning to swim through the postal service.

After wasting a lot of money and still not getting a job, I was broken and fell into darkness. My classmates also faced trouble finding a job. Then we came across CDA. It took around 4 months of discussion and research before we decided to try our luck again with the Digital Marketing course. Testimonials from a few friends gave assurance about the academy. I always believe better late than never. This time, the CDA  academy became my charioteer. And you know the rest of the story.

I got my first work through my best friend, Anila, after she saw my post on LinkedIn about my digital marketing journey. She assigned me to the production of a promotional reel and a flyer for a prestigious stage programme. I was committed to proving myself.

I could never imagine building my own website; CDA made that also a reality. The one who lost her paradise has regained it. career, financial independence and much more

Here I am, upskilled and confident as the best digital marketer and content writer in Trivandrum. I am so grateful to my spouse and CDA for being the catalyst for my career return.