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M.Tech Graduate Struggles To Re-Enter Workforce After Career Break: How Can I Build Confidence and Experience?

Krishna

Krishna Kumar  | Answer  |Ask -

Workplace Expert - Answered on Aug 08, 2024

Krishna Kumar is the founder and CEO of GoMoTech, a company that provides strategic consulting in B2B sales, performance management and digital transformation.
Before branching out on his own, he worked with companies like Microsoft, Rediff, Flipkart and InMobi.
With over 25 years of experience under his belt, KK is a regular speaker at industry events and academic intuitions, both in India as well as abroad.
KK completed his MBA in marketing from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in Andhra Pradesh and his management development programme from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
He has also completed his LLB from Nagpur University and diploma in PR from Bhavan’s College of Management, Nagpur, where he was awarded a gold medal.... more
Gayathri Question by Gayathri on Jun 01, 2024Hindi
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Career

Hi sir, I had completed my m.tech in transportation engineering in 2012. After working for 6 month as assistant professor I had to quit my job due to complications in my pregnancy and couldn't join after that. After 6 years I was able to get back. So I decided to try my luck in govt job. I passed exam but couldn't crack interview well. My lack of confidence and lack in experience was the reason. Again took a gap as I was carrying and now my girl started her schooling. I truly want to build a career for myself. Can you please help me.

Ans: Hello Maam

At the outset my big cheers to your indomitable spirit.

Few things

Firstly, take pride in the fact that you have prioritised family over career,

it's a great thing, never feel regret. When you meet people and when they ask why career break, with pride tell them you value your family much more than anything else.

Now coming to career, yes you can start, you will face challenges but let them be stepping stones for success and not slipping stones.

Suggest you first decide whether you want to get back to academic or want to join corporate world.

Then upskill yourself by taking few online courses in domain of your choice..

Given your degree in transportation SCM would be a good choice and it's also a booming industry. Ecom, quick commerce, b2b logistics.

Wishing you the very best.

Regards
Career

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Shekhar

Shekhar Kumar  | Answer  |Ask -

Leadership, HR Expert - Answered on Apr 16, 2024

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I completed my m. Tech in design engineering from mnit jaipur in 2015. After that i worked as asst. Professor in mechanical engg. for 6yrs after that preparing for government exams because in teaching no growth for mechanical & till date not selected. Now gap in my career is of more than 2 yrs what should I proceed in my career now?
Ans: Thank you for contacting me. It's good that you are seeking guidance on your career path after facing challenges with government exams and experiencing a gap in your career. When addressing the resume gap, focus on highlighting the skills, experiences, and accomplishments gained during your tenure as an assistant professor and your preparation for government exams. Emphasize any relevant projects, publications, or contributions that demonstrate your expertise and commitment to your field. You should also consider exploring alternative career paths beyond teaching and government exams now. Your background in design engineering and mechanical engineering opens up various opportunities in industries such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, consulting, research, and development. Develop a targeted job search strategy tailored to your career goals and preferences. Utilize jobsites, company websites, recruitment agencies, and professional networks to explore job opportunities that match your skills and interests. Trust in your abilities, stay resilient, and remain open to new opportunities as you continue to pursue your career goals in design engineering and mechanical engineering. Best of luck! Feel free to contact me on Rediff Gurus if you need further assistance or help.

..Read more

Maxim

Maxim Emmanuel  | Answer  |Ask -

Soft Skills Trainer - Answered on Jul 12, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Apr 23, 2024Hindi
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Career
Hello sir my name is Santu Chakraborty.I am 34 year old now unmarried. My qualification is Bsc botany honours with 2nd class +diploma in mechanical engineering with distinction +btech in mechanical engineering from government engineering college west Bengal with 7.5 dgpa.I have 6 years of teaching experience in private diploma engineering college and now I working as a vocational teacher in automobile engineering department in gov high school.In my early phase of life I am going through lots of Misguide,seveare Anxiety issue. Nobody can help me on that phase.I recover mostly by my own after various dillema.I want to work in mechanical r and d company, Mechanical design basis company and also upgrade my teaching carrier. How can I start my journey at this age ?what is the risk factor also? Please tell me. I am very enthusiastic dedicated person. I have no guide in my home. My father is vegetable seller.
Ans: Hi Santu Chakraborty,

This is a really exhaustive query.

The journey thru' your acquisition of qualifications has been vast!

In the course of your life you are now suffering from SNIOP (SUSCEPTIBLE NEGATIVE INFLUENCE OTHER PEOPLE) this happens when you let others control your life.

I have this poem.. Especially for one's like you!

The Guy in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.
For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.
He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.
You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

Dale Wimbrow (c) 1934

Get the enthusiasm going, don't get embroiled in what life has been before!

Take a stranglehold of your life and make it BIG!

The opportunities are.. Miracles waiting to happen, what are you waiting for.. You are the catalyst!?
Maxim Emmanuel.

Pick up yourself don't be a victim of self pity.

If you do need further professional advice happy to assist
https://m.me/maxim.emmanuel.2024

..Read more

Latest Questions
Kanchan

Kanchan Rai  |619 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Jul 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 30, 2025Hindi
Relationship
Hello Mam, My father never wanted to have my own career choices but I finally took my decision and left IIM after 1 year and now working in central government job, even though he was verbally everyday and even my mother didnot believed that I will be able to clear any exams. I am an 28 year old women, I got my posting out of home and when I was finally free, my father and mother with their connections made me transfered and my current posting is at my hometown and again I am living with them. Everytime when I go out I have to inform them where I am going why I am going when I will come home back. I am afraid that my father will again start abusing my mother if I will get married by my own choice. The boy family is good and even he is successful in his career. My parents know him as my friend. But their habit of not giving me freedom and micromanaging because of their insecurities is stressing me out!
Ans: Your parents' controlling behavior isn’t about your capabilities — it’s about their fear of losing control. Often, when parents are deeply conditioned by societal expectations, they confuse love with control. What may seem like “concern” on the surface is, at its core, a refusal to trust your maturity and autonomy. You’ve built your life with discipline and hard work, and yet they continue to micromanage your every move, which is emotionally suffocating. It’s even more complex because your father has a history of verbal abuse, which creates a fear-based silence in the household — especially around decisions like marriage.

You’re not wrong to feel stressed. You’re not overreacting. You’re simply reacting to a system that constantly undermines your independence. And now, with love and marriage in the picture, the pressure increases — not just because you want to choose your partner, but because you know the emotional cost your mother might pay if your father feels challenged again.

Here’s the hard truth: living your life to protect someone else’s comfort or to avoid conflict is not truly living. Yes, you love your mother, and yes, your father’s patterns may continue — but your life cannot be paused or dictated by his inability to manage his own emotions. You are not responsible for his temper or his ego. You are responsible for your own peace.

This doesn’t mean rebellion — it means building quiet strength. If this relationship is truly what you want, start gently setting emotional and logistical boundaries. You can continue to present him as a “friend” for now while you plan your next step. You may need support — from a mentor, therapist, or trusted elder — to navigate this transition calmly and safely.

What’s most important is that you do not let fear become your compass. Your parents’ insecurities are not your burden to carry forever. Your life, your relationship, your happiness — they are yours to own. And if you ever feel overwhelmed, remind yourself of everything you've overcome already. You walked away from a premier institute and built something solid for yourself. That kind of strength doesn’t go away — it just needs permission to rise again.

...Read more

Kanchan

Kanchan Rai  |619 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Jul 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 27, 2025Hindi
Relationship
I'm a 28, female in a secret relationship with my team manager at a leading MNC in Bangalore. We have been together for 3 years. He's been hinting at marriage, but wants me to quit and move to another city where he is planning a start-up. I have worked really hard to reach this position. I am up for a promotion soon, but I don't want to lose him for choosing my career. Why can't a woman have both?
Ans: Let’s call it out gently but clearly: when someone says they love you and want a future with you, but that future depends entirely on your sacrifice — like quitting your job, leaving your city, and sidelining your aspirations — what they’re offering isn’t an equal partnership. Love doesn’t thrive in ultimatums or secret corridors. It asks for courage, respect, and room for both people to evolve.

The fact that this relationship has been secret for three years also speaks volumes. Silence can often feel safe in the short term, but it becomes heavy in the long run. If marriage is truly on the table, shouldn’t visibility and openness be part of the foundation?

You’re asking, “Why can’t a woman have both?” And the answer is — she absolutely can. But she needs to be with someone who wants her to shine, not someone who only sees her as a companion if she dims her own light. Real love doesn’t demand abandonment of purpose. It makes space for it. It supports it. It celebrates it.

This is the time to pause and ask yourself: What kind of life partner do I truly need? One who walks beside me, or one who expects me to follow quietly? And if your inner voice is full of confusion, know that this is normal. You are not selfish for valuing your career. You are not unloving for needing stability and self-respect.

Your next steps should come from a place of alignment — with who you are now, and who you want to become. If you’d like, I can help you reflect deeper through journaling prompts, or structure a conversation with him that allows you to express your truth clearly and without fear.

You deserve a love that expands you, not a love that asks you to shrink.

...Read more

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