CHENNAI: Sometimes, life has a particular path placed before you, but this may not be the path of your choice. This was the case for data analyst Sudalai Rajkumar and carpenter Vinay Babu Manepalli. At the latest edition of BlissCatchers, hosted by happynesswala AVIS Viswanathan, the two shared their stories with the audience gathered at Odyssey on Saturday.
Ever since he was in class 3, Rajkumar had a fascination by numbers and used to spend extra time in class with his teachers. “I was drawn to Maths; I don’t know why or how. I look at numbers and see patterns in them. I never followed a methodology, it was never formula-based for me. I’d know the answer and then work backward,” he said.
After a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a 9.6 GPA, he was offered a job at L&T, but rejected it for a job at Global Analytics. “The interview at Global Analytics was more problem-solving and puzzle-based, so I immediately liked it more,” said Rajkumar, with a laugh.
Manepalli recalled a time where he used to return home from school to watch over the construction at his house. He was fascinated by the work of the carpenters and made it a point to watch their work. After 27 years as a banker, he left his job to become a carpenter, a title he carries with pride.
“I learned two lessons from that carpenter. He has a house, his children are educated, and he still works, 25 years later. If you have a skill, you will be sought after. Second, he was a one-man show. He taught me that we have to be a need-based family, not a want-based family,” he said.
For Rajkumar, analytics found him at the same time he found analytics. As a grandmaster with Kaggle, Google’s community of data scientists, he has now found a life that he can’t see working any other way. The transition for Manepalli was a family decision. “We discussed it with our two sons. We began living based on needs, and we are happier than before,” said Meena, Manepalli’s wife. Manepalli ended the session by saying that he has no regrets in the choices he has made.