Rose Sikder
OKTA
San Francisco, CA USA
"Talent is everywhere—and that’s true without a degree. There are so many people out there with so much potential being overlooked just because they don’t have a degree."
Career Roadmap
Rose's work combines: Business, Technology, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
When you're young, you're told that you need to go to school, get a degree, and enter into corporate America. You're forced into thinking you need to complete all these steps within a specific timeline to be successful. You don't realize until you get older and see more life that you don't actually need to follow that predetermined path. You can find success and happiness through a variety of different pathways.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
After my mom passed away, I moved from New York City to California to start fresh and attended UC Irvine for economics.
2.
Financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic forced me to drop out of college and work multiple service industry jobs to support my family.
3.
Despite the setbacks, I found joy in the service industry as I thrived working with people and in a dynamic work environment.
4.
Moving to the DMV area, I joined Okta’s Business Development Associate program, which offered me a fresh start in sales despite not having a degree.
5.
With determination and support from my manager, I secured my position with Okta and have been promoted three times in two years.
6.
My diverse background in sales, from food to fashion, gave me the confidence to excel in tech sales, despite lacking a tech background.
7.
Now, as a sales development representative at Okta, I’m excited for the future and proud of my journey from server to sales professional.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You need to go straight to college, complete a degree, and enter corporate America in order to be successful.
How I responded:
When you're young, you're told that you need to go to school, get a degree, and enter into corporate America. You're forced into thinking you need to complete all these steps within a specific timeline to be successful. You don't realize until you get older and see more life that you don't actually need to follow that predetermined path. You can find success and happiness through a variety of different pathways.