Sanjeev Mehta

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

I was a good student until 7th standard, but then I started losing interest in studies. My grades slipped, and subjects like Math, Chemistry, and Physics became a real struggle. Things got so bad that my parents were seriously worried. Then my mother came up with a smart idea: she asked me to teach my younger sister. We started with Math, which was honestly the subject I feared the most. My sister was smart and also very good at escaping work — classic younger sibling move. She would ask me questions I couldn’t answer, so I had no choice but to study first, understand the concept myself, and then explain it to her in a simple way. Slowly, something changed. By teaching her every day, I started getting better at the same subject I used to dread. I also had to be patient and creative, because teaching someone younger is not just about knowing the answer; it is about explaining it in a way they understand. My sister improved, I improved, and soon I had three more students learning from me. I even started earning money while learning the things I had once struggled with in school. That experience taught me a lesson I still believe in today: nothing is impossible if you are willing to learn, stay patient, and find your own way to reach the goal.

What is the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get to where you are now professionally? How did you overcome it?

I have a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, but after 9/11, finding a job in the tourism industry became really difficult. I went through a tough time and had to do all kinds of odd jobs, including delivering mail, just to keep moving forward. Eventually, I got an internship at a consulting firm as a “Researcher,” which sounded fancy, but honestly meant helping with everything from coordination to logistics support. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Since there were no big expectations from me, I used that time to learn, observe, and meet as many people as I could. I was hungry to grow, and because technology came naturally to me, I started making friends, asking questions, and learning new skills every chance I got. After just two months, my director offered me a full-time job, and that became my first step into the corporate world. I worked during the day, studied in the evenings, and later completed my degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. What started as a small internship turned into a 21-year career with the same company, where I was promoted several times and kept growing along the way. My advice is this: when life throws challenges at you, don’t wait for someone else to fix things — take charge of your career and keep learning. Be willing to work hard, stay curious, and put in the effort until you reach your goal.