Career Gaps, Late Starts, Unconventional Careers Meetup Recap (31st May)

"Don't worry about failing in exams. You can always get married."

A male classmate said that to me during my first year of MSc.

Ironically, both of us were struggling academically at the time.

I had gone to him hoping to vent about how badly things were going.

Instead, I got a reminder that many people still see men's careers and women's careers very differently.

The assumption was simple:

His career problems were a crisis.

Mine were temporary because marriage could always "solve" them.

But here's what people often misunderstand about women.

We don't pursue careers only because we need money.

We pursue them because ambition matters to us.

Passion matters to us.

Purpose matters to us.

Independence matters to us.

And when things don't work out the way we hoped, we feel that disappointment just as deeply as anyone else.

A few years later, after my own late career start and multiple detours, I created TwoXTopia. And also began hosting women's discussion meetups in Bangalore as a part of it.

Last week, I hosted one on career gaps, late starts, and unconventional career paths. I also hosted this last month because a lot of women turned up and were requesting to conduct it again because some of them couldn't make it.

Women from different age groups showed up.

Some were in the middle of a career break.

Some were trying to restart after years away.

Some had left careers they genuinely loved.

Some felt behind compared to their peers.

And some had already navigated these challenges and showed up simply to share what they had learned.

What struck me wasn't how different their stories were.

It was how similar the emotions were.

The shame.

The comparison.

The feeling that everyone else had somehow figured life out earlier.

For months now, I've hosted conversations around heartbreak, leaving home, friendship, life transitions, and confidence.

But career-related meetups consistently attract the deepest conversations.

Not because women are obsessed with work.

But because career struggles are one of the few challenges women are often told not to take seriously.

"Why stress so much? You can always get married."

The women I meet at these discussions tell a very different story.

They care deeply.

And sometimes all they need is a room full of people who understand that.

PS : We recorded a podcast on this topic long ago. During this meetup I wasn't able to tell my story fully, you can checkout the full podcast to know my and my colleague's full story here : https://twox.in/post/K9V9-Episode-5-The-truth-about-having-a-non-linear-ca

Checkout how this meetup went last time : https://twox.in/post/QExJ-Started-late-Took-a-break-Careers-that-don-t-al

I'm hosting a meetup on imposter syndrome on 7th June. Checkout the details in the Hangout section of the app to know more about it

PSS : If you can't see the reel attached to this post, it's a sign for you to update the app