Significant Career Lesson From An Independent Impact And Evaluation Consultant
Rakhee's most significant career lesson involved cultivating confidence, stating that "once I did that, I was just liberated," overcoming imposter syndrome and allowing authentic self-expression in diverse professional settings. This confidence enabled career advancement across various fields, from analytics to the nonprofit sector, proving adaptability and skill transferability to be key assets.
Confidence, Overcoming Challenges, Career Development, Authenticity, Imposter Syndrome
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rakhee Patel
Impact & Evaluation Consultant
Independent Consultant
Wellesley College (studied abroad for 1 semester at University College London)
UCLA | M.S. and Ph.D. in Statistics (2011)
Mathematics, Data Science, Statistics
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Consulting
Honors Student, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Develop confidence in your skills and expertise, overcoming imposter syndrome.
2. Embrace continuous learning and adaptability, applying past experiences to new fields.
3. Authentically be yourself and don't feel pressured to conform to a specific professional mold.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
I don't know if it's a lesson, but people continually telling me to be more confident in myself and my skills. Once I did that, I got executive coaching, had a therapist, and a whole team of people who helped me gain confidence.
If you can build that early, it is so key. Once I did that, I was liberated, and it opened up so much for me. It shed so much worry about imposter syndrome, especially as a woman and a person of color.
I've often worked in male-dominated fields, like when I was doing analytics work, and I had to gain confidence in my expertise. When I moved to the nonprofit field, I didn't know anything about nonprofit work. When I went to market research, I didn't know anything about that either.
But what I did know was that I'm really good at learning things and adapting. The experience I bring from my previous work does matter. People wouldn't hire you if they didn't want it. So, I really just owned that.
Also, my style. I've worked in many different environments and felt like I had to adapt. But I'm a very casual person and not super formal, and that's how I like to work. Owning that, not feeling like I have to be somebody else, has been huge for my career. I can authentically be myself, and I know that's easier said than done. I have a lot of privilege to be able to say that.