Community Spotlight: Sayalee Chaudhary
Sayalee Chaudhary
From studying architecture at Mumbai’s prestigious Sir J.J. College of Architecture to navigating the fast-paced world of B2B content marketing and AI in the US and Sweden, our latest Community Spotlight features a journey that is anything but linear.
Meet Sayalee Chaudhary, a career zigzagger who traded physical blueprints for digital ones. Through every move across continents and industries, one thing remained constant: a passion for design. Today, she shares how leaving your ego at the door, connecting the dots between diverse industries, and finding the right community can help you build a growth-ready career in tech.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role in tech.
I laughed a little to myself when I read this question, because my very first experience in tech lasted exactly three days! I had enrolled in a Computer Science program and on the third day after admission, I withdrew my application because I had just been accepted into Mumbai’s Sir J.J. College of Architecture, the oldest and one of the most prestigious architecture institutions in India. So, I packed my bags, moved from my hometown, and spent the next five years studying to become an architect.
From there, life took me to the US and later, to Sweden. I’ve moved across multiple cities and changed addresses so many times that I have lost count. With every move, I had to adapt to different career landscapes and new toolkits, from mastering Autodesk and 3D modeling in my early days to now devoting myself to Adobe, Canva, Mailchimp, and more recently, the constantly evolving world of AI.
Today, I work as a Content Marketing and Strategy Specialist, focusing on visual communication in the B2B space. From architecture to pyrography, photography and now, marketing, what kept me going was staying true to what makes me “me”. It has always been about design, whether I was creating custom woodwork, capturing photographs, or, as I do now, crafting marketing solutions to address user needs.
With time and these varied experiences, my relationship with tech has evolved. Tech is what allows me to design those invisible structures and the strategic spaces between visuals and the audience.
What has helped you stay and grow in tech?
Honestly, connecting the dots!
Because I’ve worked across architecture and marketing, and also studied UX/UI for a short period, I’ve started noticing patterns that run across fields. Whether you are building for a client, marketing for a target audience or designing for an ideal user, the logic stays the same. Design is for the user; keep your ego as far away as possible from the process.
When the UX world asks you to be empathetic, I see that as a way of leaving your ego at the door for your creativity and craft. It’s the same logic as putting users' needs before your own preferences. At the end of the day, it's just about being a genuine human in a digital space. And now that same understanding and logic has helped me create a digital twin ghostwriter and dashboards with Claude.
As long as there is a new puzzle to solve and a new way to connect with people, that will always be my fuel to stay.
What challenges have you faced, and how have you navigated them?
Being a "career zigzagger" makes you a bit of a generalist. For a long time, I asked myself: Am I thorough? Is the knowledge I have gathered deep enough? I can connect the dots but it may not be at an expert level.
This is where coming from an architecture background added to the challenge because we are taught to be incredibly thorough. Buildings are permanent and every inch of space is curated with a lot of attention.
But after gaining hands-on experience in the world of tech and marketing, I’ve learnt not to question my choices or worry about not being thorough all the time. The greatest lesson tech offers is the opportunity to refine. We have A/B tests in marketing; in tech, they are design iterations.
My biggest breakthrough was knowing how to build a strategic structure that is flexible enough to have walls of bricks today that can be changed into glass walls tomorrow. I cannot be an expert in all fields, but tech gives me the flexibility to build something that is ready for growth and adaptation.
What is your connection to WITGBG, and what drew you to this community?
To be honest, WITGBG found me! They approached me and the collaboration was a no-brainer, so I immediately said yes.
From the mentor who gave me my first professional camera to the women who pulled me into the heart of the tech and creative scenes in Gothenburg, community has been such a vital support for me. All these experiences wouldn’t be possible without the many incredible women who have opened doors for me.
They are the 'architects' of my career in Sweden, who trusted my non-traditional path, took a leap of faith in my transferable skills and just said, “You go, girl!”
How would you describe your approach to tech or work in general?
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward." — Steve Jobs
Art is tied to the artist’s ego, but design is all about using your creativity to solve a specific user problem, meet their purpose and address their “whys.” This is the philosophy of legends in the design community and it has always resonated with me.
What advice would you give to others building a long-term career in tech?
Most of us tie our identity to a specific job title, and honestly, I did that too for a long time. Making peace with that was vital, especially while re-entering the labour market. The tech world moves so fast that it’s easy to be overwhelmed. I like to keep it simple. I will sometimes pay for a new tool for a month or two and play with it to get the hang of it. I focus on learning by doing and staying curious, especially in the age of AI.
My biggest breakthroughs came from the community connecting the dots for me! Whether it’s a coffee chat, trying a new ice cream flavor, or building Legos at an afterwork, it is about being the person who shows up. Diverse perspectives make you agile. Some learnings are experience-based; you have to live them to understand them.
Many of us, especially in tech, navigate multiple cities and countries; in a way, we become global citizens. I will not sugarcoat it - it isn’t easy. But this journey feels a little better in a community that supports, elevates, and celebrates you.