Full name?: Sara Safari
Position / Job title?: Electrical Engineer, Lecturer
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Astronaut, Doctor, Engineer
Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position? I wanted to do something that has a lot of math and physics in it because they were my favorite subjects.
Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships? Yes, I did couple of internships. I think they are great and necessary.
Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts? Preparing for classes, preparing tests and quizzes and homework and teaching for few hours and grading tests and homework
What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made? I didn’t get my Phd.
What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to other career-minded women? Do what you really love and keep your life balance
Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important? Very important. It means 8 hours rest, 8 hours work and 8 hours family, workout, eat healthy, fun
On that note, do you think women can have it all? Both the baller career, and the happy family? I think we can have it all but It’s challenging, It needs dedication and commitment.
If you could look into a crystal ball and see 20 years into your future, what would you want to see? Having my own non profit organization and helping and empowering people all over the globe.
Do you have any career role models? Who are they? Michelle Obama, Elen Degeneres
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received – career-related or otherwise? Enjoy every minute of every day. Our lives are a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. I’ve learned from so many people that enjoying everything is the key to happiness and success. I truly enjoy everything I do, both in my career and my personal life.
Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality? The real world is really very similar now to when I was younger. I remember my parents always saying that. As we grow up, we gain new experiences that help us face new challenges. We always experience the real world. Our experiences change and when our experiences change, the game we play expands to include more challenges. It’s the challenges in life that help me grow.
Should you work for the money, or do what you love? I think that’s pretty obvious! I teach engineering and climb for at-risk girls. Money has never been my passion. That said, I’m not oblivious to the fact that money is important and required to make the world work. After all, everything and everyone requires money. After all, I’m raising awareness and money for the girls in Nepal.
How important is money to you when considering a job? Again, I teach so obviously money is not that important to me. I like getting paid a fair wage for the work I do. I left a fairly high paying job in enterprise to pursue my passions. When I was growing up, I always thought I wanted to have a high paying job and wear professional clothes every day to work. I still wear professional clothes but now I prefer to help amazing people learn engineering. I want to see them grow.
What is the single most important factor of a job? I guess that depends on what’s important to you at the time that you’re taking the job! If you’re in desperate need to pay off student loans or some other debt or just need money, I guess money is the most important factor. For me, right now, the most important factor is that I enjoy myself every day. I have to love my job and love the people I work with. I want to spend a significant portion of my life with these people doing this job. If I didn’t love everything and everyone at my job, I’d go crazy!
If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.) My husband does pretty well and technically I don’t have to work right now. In fact, before we married, all he asked of me was to just be busy with something that matters to me. Well, I decided to teach and raise awareness and money for people in need. This is what matters to me! Teaching is rewarding and challenging. Helping people fulfills me spiritually. I feel privileged to be able to follow my dreams.
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