Kavitha Govindarajulu

It took a leap of faith for Kavitha to land at Microsoft. After a hiring manager pursued her; she made the bold decision to leave the small-scale world of startups to come back to big tech.

As a young girl Kavitha always knew she wanted to become an engineer. Her big brother was an engineer, and when she would peer over his shoulder as he worked, her curiosity pushed her to follow the same path.

Kavitha began her career in big tech at IBM. Feeling as if she had learned everything she could, she then moved into startups where she describes the pace as exciting. There was a sense of thrill being able to work hands-on with her team due to the speed in delivery of the products.

Kavitha didn’t think about switching from a startup to come to Microsoft. She didn’t want to break her work life balance she created for her family. Kavitha has two young boys who she spends time with building Legos and robots. She loves being able to spark curiosity in her children as they follow the manuals and build together. She also thinks her kids perceive her as a “cool mom” because she can combine her love for her children, with the fun of hands-on building.

She pushed herself to step out of her comfort zone to consider joining CSE and now she encourages others to be brave and venture into new opportunities to continue professional growth.

To Kavitha, CSE isn’t about glamour or launching new products. It’s about connecting with teammates and customers, having strong managers who care about your personal growth, and work flexibility. She believes when they say women can’t have it all, based on her experiences, they certainly can in CSE.