OdinSchool Review 2024: Actor-Turned-Lead Analyst With A 4-Year Gap Opens Up

Shivani Saluja from Madhya Pradesh, was a Programmer Analyst at Cognizant for 3 years. In a bold move in 2018, she quit her job to pursue her passion for acting, lied to her family, and moved to Mumbai under the guise of work. But, in 2019, the pandemic disrupted her plans and brought her acting career to a standstill.

Cut to 2024, Shivani is a Lead Data Analyst at LogicBoot IT Solutions, where she oversees Power BI projects, while leading a team of 4! How did she pull off a career comeback after a significant 4-year break from the industry?

Shivani’s career relaunch is a success story far from ordinary. So, keep reading!

For the soap opera and web series viewers in India, the shows that Shivani proved her acting prowess in, are all iconic and unforgettable - Think Kumkum Bhagya, Tera Yaar Hoon Main, Happily Ever After…

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With no familial ties to the entertainment industry, Shivani had always kept her acting dreams hidden from her parents while growing up. When she finally decided to take up acting lessons in 2018, Shivani knew she had to masquerade her shift to Mumbai as something else.

“My family thought I moved to Mumbai for work. I told them the truth only after I found out that I was going to show up on their TV screen”, she recalls.

Her acting journey began at the prestigious Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, a professional drama school, where she gathered an invaluable experience that catapulted her into the world of performing arts. After her brief stint in the theater world, she landed great opportunities in some of the most loved shows on television and the web.

Cut to 2019, the whole world grinded to a halt, along with Shivani’s acting career.

Amidst the lockdown, Shivani got married and started her family life. Post her wedding, she felt the need to pivot back to a stable IT career, ensuring a steady income stream. However, with a significant four-year career gap, the road to re-entering the workforce was not smooth.

Enter OdinSchool

Shivani had to justify a 4-year hiatus in an industry where even a gap as less as 6 months raises eyebrows. In a dynamically evolving tech sector where today’s state-of-the-art technologies become obsolete tomorrow, it is, indeed, difficult to navigate these formidable challenges. This is where upskilling and reskilling find exceptional relevance.

Shivani's journey took an unexpected turn when she discovered OdinSchool’s Data Science Course on YouTube. She came across an interview where a successful OdinSchool graduate with a long career gap narrated their positive training experience. Encouraged, she decided to pursue Data Science at OdinSchool.

So, what does OdinSchool do?

There is an abundance of new-age careers and career-driven aspirants in India, but not enough skilled professionals to fill these roles. With the objective of alleviating the current talent shortage in the country, particularly in emerging new-age careers, OdinSchool focuses on mobilizing skills, resources, and knowledge to produce candidates who can stand out in the hyper-competitive tech sector.

This upskilling organization equips young professionals with relevant skills and motivation to address emerging needs in the job market and further enrich the country’s knowledge economy.

"We are on a mission to transform careers through upskilling, ensuring that our learners are ready to contribute, from day one.", says Vijay Pasupulati, the CEO of OdinSchool.

The Winning Methodology

“They have a structured, module-based teaching methodology. At the end of each module is a project, followed by a project presentation session, which simulates presentations in a working environment. We were also given project presentation guidance. Towards the end, we attended mock interview sessions with experts to prepare for our actual interviews," she explains, when asked about her training experience at OdinSchool.

“I cracked my very first interview after I completed the course!”, she rejoices. Her achievement speaks volumes about her dedication to getting back to the industry.

Learners at OdinSchool are exposed to the most sought-after skills through an industry-vetted curriculum, live instructor-led classes, hands-on training, projects, sessions with industry experts, and live doubt clarification sessions. The technical training is supplemented by workshops on workplace skills, interview skills, resume and other professional profile building, and more! Some of their graduates have career gaps as long as 16 years!

What does Shivani do now?

In her current role at LogicBoot IT Solutions, Shivani plays a crucial part in the success of Power BI projects within the organization. She not only contributes directly to project execution but also dons a leadership role.

“I work on Power BI projects in the company while simultaneously leading a team of 4. I train them in Power BI, and brief them on Power BI functionalities, project scopes and client requirements. I am also tasked with the critical responsibility of reviewing my team’s deliverables and helping them improve their work quality”, she explains.

Shivani's journey from acting to data analysis is a true testament to the transformative power of upskilling. Despite facing numerous challenges, her determination to reinvent her career, coupled with OdinSchool’s training, helped her build a successful career!

Disclaimer: The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.