How Identity Has Influenced a Software Engineering Manager's Career at a Big Tech Company
Sara's Iranian-American background, with its strong entrepreneurial emphasis from the immigrant adults in their life, led to a unique career path diverging from the typical corporate trajectory. This resulted in a learning process characterized by "more mistakes" due to a lack of familiarity with corporate culture, yet simultaneously fostered "unique and different skills" not commonly found.
Leadership, Immigrant Experience, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Culture, Career Paths
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sara Rahimian
Software Engineering Manager
Fortune 10 Tech Company
University of California, Berkeley
NA
Computer Science, Engineering - Electrical
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness, Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Immigrant, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Sara's experience as a first-generation American influenced her career path, as she was surrounded by entrepreneurial adults who often opted out of corporate jobs. This led her to forge her own path, potentially making more mistakes but also gaining unique skills and perspectives.
2. Sara's unique background gave her a different perspective on career paths and corporate culture, which helped her navigate her career in a unique way.
3. Sara's story highlights the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences in navigating a professional career. Her experience shows that there are multiple pathways to success and that the 'traditional' route isn't always the only option.
Transcript
As someone who is a first-generation American, how has that impacted or navigated your career?
As an Iranian American, I grew up with many entrepreneurial immigrants who established their own companies and businesses. In hindsight, I realize this was because they were unfamiliar with the daunting and intimidating American corporate system, so they opted out.
This has impacted my career. Many people told me the only way to succeed was to be my own boss, emphasizing that working for others wasn't safe.
While working for others can have its challenges, it also offers different opportunities. You can scale your work, meet diverse people, and transition between industries.
This led me to forge a different path without much guidance from adults in my community on navigating the corporate world. Consequently, I've likely made more mistakes due to a lack of understanding of corporate culture. However, this mindset also gave me unique and different skills.