“I get to finish the whole story”: Pooja Prithyani on women in tech, the wonder of learning, and why she’ll never regret starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic

Pooja Prithyani wears many hats.

In the mornings, she’s a mum, setting her six-year-old daughter up with everything she needs for remote learning.

In the evenings, she’s a chef, cooking Indian and fusion food for her family, and sharing the recipes via her popular YouTube channel.

And during the day, Pooja is a Technical Sales Specialist for Microsoft Australia, developing solutions to customers’ challenges, taking them through demonstrations and pilots, answering their questions and helping them make the big decisions about how to transform their businesses. She helps customers achieve their goals by envisioning, designing and demonstrating solutions that map directly to their business value.

These three roles might not seem to have much in common, but Pooja believes they do. That’s because, whether she’s solving a homeschooling issue, simmering spices on the stove or piloting a new technology, she’s always learning.

Before joining Microsoft in March 2021, Pooja had spent the past 12 years working with Microsoft Dynamics 365. But in her time as a Dynamics specialist with various partners and end users, the specific areas and applications Pooja had focused on were quite narrow.

“What I didn’t have was that exposure to the bigger ecosystem, and the power of that ecosystem,” she says. While Pooja’s new role still focuses on Dynamics 365, as well as Microsoft’s Power Apps platform, she says that being part of that broader ecosystem makes a big difference. “It’s not like you’re just working on a small piece in a siloed way. I actually get to finish the whole story from end to end.”

Initially, Pooja found this broadened scope a little intimidating.

“I am a bit of a perfectionist and I can be very hard on myself,” says Pooja, who was worried about the volume of new information she felt she had to digest and the constant developments she felt she had to stay across. “But I remember my manager telling me, ‘You can’t know all these solutions back to front from the start. You need to accept that you can’t be an expert in everything from the beginning, so just focus on what you're good at and the rest will come over time.”

This was Pooja’s introduction to Microsoft’s growth mindset, which guides people to focus on cultivating curiosity, rather than hoarding knowledge. “It’s what’s incredible about Microsoft,” she says. “They don’t judge you based on what you know, but on how willing you are to learn and grow.”

Pooja felt liberated by the realisation that, in her new role, evolution was just as important as perfection. For someone who has always been passionate about learning, it was the perfect fit.

“I have always been curious and wanting to learn more,” she says. “And with the help you get from peers around the world, the immense number of resources and the cultural focus on learning, Microsoft is like heaven for people who want to learn more.”

Pooja was particularly pleased to find that this ‘cultural focus’ translated into real initiatives – that her new employer walked the walk, as well as talking the talk. At Microsoft, Pooja has access to thousands of classes, lectures and other resources that help her extend her knowledge, stay current in her field and explore new areas of interest.

She also has time for self-directed learning. One day a month, Pooja and her colleagues clear their calendars, block out eight hours and spend the day learning. “You focus on whatever you want to focus on,” she explains. “You control what you learn, and the pace you want to learn at. It’s not assessed or judged; it’s just about enriching your knowledge.”

For Pooja, this focus on learning is the best part of her new role.

“I think I’ve found my ‘why’,” she says. “I’m doing this because I want to learn more and more. I want to understand the destination of the technologies we’re making, and how they’re impacting people.”

And it helps to be surrounded by likeminded people, too. “The industry attracts people who are a bit more curious, and just have that need for learning,” she explains. “And Microsoft is a perfect place for people like that.”

So, where does Pooja see herself in 10 years?

Hopefully still at Microsoft, she says. “I believe in the culture at Microsoft and our mission of empowering everyone, everywhere in the world.”

Pooja, who remembers being one of the only women in her university engineering classes, is particularly interested in using Microsoft’s platform to empower women. She is deeply involved in Microsoft’s BizApps for Women group, where she helps other women get the confidence they need to believe in themselves, conquer imposter syndrome and rise up in their careers. And she feels supported to do this, knowing that Microsoft’s values match her own.

“You don’t feel the gender inequality at all here,” she says. “Women are everywhere, not just in functional roles but in technical roles. At Microsoft, they don’t just talk about female empowerment, they inculcate it throughout the business. It’s awesome.

“When you’re making a difference to society, whether that’s by mentoring other women, developing the software used at hospitals, creating a remote-controlled wheelchair, developing productivity apps to solve business problems, or simply creating a game that people enjoy playing, it’s amazing to know that we can help anyone, anywhere in the world, become anything they want. I’ve found my dream job.”