Vinay Nichani
Senior Director
Cisco
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Majored in Mechanical Engineering because I liked car racing.
Switched to Electrical Engineering because the internet was getting huge and I wanted to be a part of it.
Got a job in Sales Engineering because I liked talking about tech more than I liked building tech.
Did a lot of presentations because I was terrified of public speaking.
Went into leadership because I liked the idea of leading a team.
Left leadership because I got exhausted by all the administrative crap I had to deal with.
Really focused on technology disruption, and how to capitalize on it, which helped me stand out.
Came back to leadership because I missed it.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
University High School
University High School
Bachelor
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
University of California-Los Angeles
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
University of California-Los Angeles
Graduate
Business Administration and Management, General
University of Southern California
Business Administration and Management, General
University of Southern California
Career
Senior Director
I lead teams that sell software and drive customer success.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Technology
Working with Others
Day to Day
One of the things I love is that I don't have a routine day. Some days are spent face to face with customers all over the world, helping them see how our products can help them overcome their business challenges. Other days are filled with internal meetings over web conference/phone, where a great day is helping people solve problems and reach their goals.
Skills & Qualities Beyond School
Most of what I do at work wasn't learned in the classroom. The most important skill in my job is communication. That involves a lot of listening, not just to what a person is saying but to what they're not saying. Reading their facial expressions, tone and body language. Empathy and emotional intelligence are HUGE. Prioritization is also tremendously important. I always have too much to do, so figuring out what needs to get done now vs later vs not at all is big.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Understand your core strengths - what are you inherently good at? What differentiates you from your peers? Figure out how to exploit and expand that. Then define and prioritize your gaps - what are you not good at that will be important in your path? Start closing those gaps.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Graduate
Business Administration and Management, General
Business Administration and Management, General
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You're an engineer, you can't do sales."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial