No Wrong Path: Why Young Workforce Must Embrace the Detours

Let me take you back.

I didn’t grow up in the UK, or anywhere near a computer. In South India, the first time I saw one was in a worn-out newspaper clipping when I was sixteen. Back then, I dreamt of becoming a doctor. Or a businesswoman, like my father. But caste, capitation fees, and family circumstance closed those doors. So I found myself nudged firmly into Computer Science. 

Not because I adored it. Because it was the only open door.

I still remember my mother’s hands, blistered from long shifts, pressing coins into mine for the college bus fare. She couldn’t name the parts of a computer, but she recognised sheer resolve when she saw it. And that was enough. 

In a world where STEM often feels like a cold corridor lined with locked doors, let me say this gently to every young person, whether you identify as a woman, a man, non binary, or in another way that’s true to you, who’s eyeing a future in STEM, especially if you didn’t grow up seeing someone like you in the lab or the boardroom: There is no wrong path. Only the one you choose to keep walking. 

The Myth of the Straight Line 
We’re sold this illusion, aren’t we?
That success looks like one straight arrow,
Good grades.
Top university.
Tech internship.
Engineering job.
Leadership role.

But real lives are rarely so tidy. Mine certainly wasn’t.  
I juggled debugging code for classmates with late-night assignments and early morning responsibilities. I missed family events to chase project deadlines. And I wrestled with doubt more nights than I care to admit, especially when I was the only woman in the server room or the only brown face in the boardroom. 
At every twist, I asked myself: “Did I take the wrong turn?”
But here's the truth no syllabus teaches: The detour is the education. 

When the 'Wrong Turn' Becomes the Right Foundation
My journey, from accidental programmer to Business Architect and AI Strategist, wasn’t linear. It was layered.

Each so-called misstep gave me something school couldn’t:
• Compassion for people struggling to keep up with tech
• Curiosity to question broken systems
• Clarity to build bridges between the boardroom and from the back-end systems
Those years as a database developer? They taught me how to spot patterns in chaos. 

My stint as an information governance auditor with a financial services company? That experience sparked a deep interest in data protection and digital trust—and ultimately led me to write my thesis on Information Security. That’s why I now embed AI ethics into every advisory.
I first learned COBOL in college, and to my surprise, I was really good at it. That foundation opened the door to C++, where I began to understand the power of object oriented thinking. 
Java came next. I self-taught, pieced together from curiosity and perseverance and it eventually led me to work at Sun Microsystems.
But those achievements didn’t come from privilege. They came from navigating undercurrents I didn’t even have language for at the time. I didn’t know then that I had ADHD, only that my mind never sat still and my questions never stopped. 
Early in my studies, one professor caught on. He saw the way I poked around systems not out of mischief, but out of relentless curiosity. He pulled me aside and said, “You need a safe, responsible channel for that brain of yours—so you don’t get into trouble.” That’s how I found ethical hacking. He didn’t just see potential—he backed it. He enrolled me in my first ethical hacking programme and later offered me my first job as a Database Administrator. A mentor in every sense, he gave me the tools to grow—and then let me go, so I could fly higher than either of us imagined. 
That early redirection laid the groundwork for how I now approach cybersecurity and AI governance: with rigour, empathy, and integrity.
You see, while others climbed ladders, I built systems. 

No Wrong Path…
Here’s what I want every young person entering the workforce to know, especially if you're taking a route that doesn’t look conventional, expected, or linear: 
You don’t need to tick every traditional box to build a meaningful career.
Whether you’re switching fields, starting later than your peers, figuring things out between jobs, or you're the first in your family to work in tech, healthcare, retail, or any sector,
You are not behind.
You are becoming.
And becoming is not a race. It’s a revelation.

From Circuit Boards to Civic Impact 
Today, I run Civika AI, helping public sector teams, clinics, and micro-businesses use AI with soul and strategy. 
We don’t just build chatbots, we build clarity. We don’t just automate processes, we amplify potential. 
And that, too, is the fruit of a meandering path. A path that included burnout, rebuilding, reinvention, and a few wise words from my grandmother: 
"Everything happens for a very good reason. You may not like it at the moment, but later in life you will know how that helped to shape you." She was right. The path shaped me. But I shaped it back.

The Path Is Yours to Shape 
If your career doesn’t fit into neat little boxes,
If you’ve paused, pivoted,
or patched things together,
If you’ve ever whispered, “Maybe I don’t belong here...”
Let me tell you plainly:
You do. And your presence matters more than you know. 
Because the world of work doesn’t just need more coders, builders, or analysts. It needs more stories like yours—messy, meaningful, and magnificently unfinished.
So don’t apologise for the zigzags.
Learn from them.
Build with them.
Shape them into something only you could have created. 
And if I could do that—growing up in a country where English wasn’t my first language, figuring things out with undiagnosed ADHD, and forging my own route through systems that weren’t built for someone like me— then believe me, so can you. 

There’s no wrong path. There’s only your path.

And if it’s anything like mine, it’ll make you formidable. 

Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me 

1. Don’t let anyone convince you you’re on the wrong path. If you’re moving, learning, adapting as long as you’re growing.
2. Equip yourself with as many tools as you can. Not just technical skills, but personal ones too: timekeeping, resilience, kindness.
3. Learn to tell your story. Speaking publicly, even in small ways, is a superpower. Use it to connect, not impress.
4. Be proud of who you are. Don’t waste years trying to fit someone else’s mold. Being you is your greatest advantage.
5. Stay curious—and keep showing up. Even when you’re tired. Even when things feel foggy. Curiosity builds bridges you can walk across later.  

That’s why I believe in Programmes like Developing Young Workforce. They don’t just offer work placements—they help young people unlock possibilities that may never have been visible otherwise.

Sudha Mani - ​Civika AI