The Sujeeth Foundation Spotlight highlights the stories of individuals who made the jump from academia to industry. We share stories to inspire and educate. We hope students can leverage this experience in their own journey.

Avi Sujeeth is a Director of the Sujeeth Foundation. Avi worked for Microsoft for fifteen years in field sales roles like Customer Success Manager and Sales Engineer.

Avi describes the underlying interest in his current job:

I’m passionate about the ability of technology to drive transformational change. I think the need in education and healthcare is prescient. We have a shortage in teaching and clinician talent. In addition, we are challenged to deliver better outcomes. Graduates should do work they are passionate about. Patients should be able to increase their life span. I think technology can help education institutions advance in research, promote new ways of learning, and deliver experiences in an unmatched way. In addition, I think technology can help health care organizations increase clinician productivity, engage with patients in new ways, and revolutionize how population health is managed.

Avi Sujeeth began his academic journey like many of you, as a college student. He attended Washington University and, like most students, had his sights set on a specific career path, aiming for consulting or investment banking.

As Avi graduated, he faced one of the most challenging job markets in recent history, marked by the fallout from the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy. He applied to countless companies, endured 30 interviews, and reached 10 final interviews before finally receiving one job offer.

According to Avi:

I think it was difficult because of the market situation and because I was trying to make a career transition - I was trying to get into strategic consulting or investment banking. I didn’t have a strong story around how my previous experiences had prepared me for those roles. In fact, when I did get a job it was with Microsoft sales. I was able to tell a story of how my financial experience, technology passion, and sales experience had prepared me to sell technology to finance departments in enterprises.


Avi started his career as a Modern Work Solution Specialist at Microsoft.

It was a sales role positioning Microsoft’s investments in SharePoint with clients. I didn’t really understand sales when I was first hired. I thought in order to be successful, a sales person had to out position the competition by maintaining control. I learned that sometimes you can get more success when you follow instead of leading.

As his career advanced he has had over seven roles with four significant job transformations:

As I’ve mapped out my career, one of the hardest activities was to develop a career plan. I haven’t a traditional track into management. Instead, I’ve focused on solving difficult problems as an individual contributor leader. As I’ve mastered skills, I’ve looked to move into adjacent roles to increase my impact. I’ve used frameworks like the next, next job to think about skills or relationships I need to develop in my current role.


Avi has published several blogs discussing his career path and how he aligns his career decisions with his core values:

Avi shares:

I’ve also spent time leveraging thinking about my core values and how they align to the career path I’m navigating. While I wouldn’t have predict my career path, it has been incredibly rewarding. I look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve.


As you embark on your academic and career journey, remember that you have agency. You can shape your path, navigate challenges, and find purpose in unexpected places. The Sujeeth Foundation encourages you to view education as a tool, just as Avi did, and to embrace concepts from books like “Grit,” “Work Out Loud,” and “Mindset” to guide your way. Download the whitepaper to learn more.

We’d love to spot light you. Tell us your story at https://www.sujeeth.org/stories.