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They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In the case of Hindi Editor Poonam Pandey, that is exactly the case. When Poonam started studying journalism, she hardly imagined that it was the first step to her becoming a Hindi Editor one day.
Poonam came from the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai, with the aim of fulfilling her career hopes and dreams. "I'm originally from Agra, but I have been living in Mumbai for the last five years." Poonam took up a journalism course at Mumbai University and was looking to make a mark in the field. But being from a conservative family, her parents were not particularly keen on letting her pursue a career in journalism. Just like many conventional parents, Poonam's parents too thought that it was a tough field for a woman to choose and excel in.
Being very passionate about writing has always been the case for Poonam. "When I was a young girl, I always knew where my passions lay. I wrote stories and poems even as a child so I was aware that I possessed some skill in this space." Just like a lot of girls even today, she knew pursuing her dreams would not be easy and she would have to prove she deserved a chance to pursue her dreams.
"I was always looking online for a chance to add to my education. One day while looking at journalism courses I stumbled upon an online course on content writing." Her parents were not going to allow her to go and join a writing course in another city, so she enrolled and completed her course in content writing online itself.
Seeing her dedication and drive, her parents supported her in pursuing her dreams and she was able to secure a job as a Junior Writer. One thing led to another and the rest is history. Poonam is now a Hindi Editor and writes for Hindustan Unilever's online housekeeping solutions platform Cleanipedia. By refusing to accept conventional career options for girls from smaller towns, Poonam chose to persist with her dreams and wrote a powerful story about women empowerment.
If you want to read and be inspired by more such stories, you can find them on the Glow & Lovely Careers (formerly known as Fair & Lovely Career Foundation) Career Foundation website under the Success Stories section (click here). To write your own success story and find an exciting new path for yourself, you can explore some of the many free courses available on the same website.