Nafiseh Bayat

I attribute my success to continuous learning and my willingness to step outside of my comfort zone. My career path was bumpy - it wasn't easy, and starting over was challenging. But I never allowed fear or self-doubt to stop me from learning and growing. I believe that success comes from consistency. Consistency is really important. Throughout my journey, I met a lot of people who helped me and mentored me, and that support was invaluable. I also learned not to compare my beginning self with someone else who's in the middle or end of their journey. You always bring valuable stuff to the table, so don't compare yourself with others. I'm a very organized person and super consistent - if I start something, I'm on it until I finish it. That discipline and commitment to seeing things through has been key to everything I've accomplished.

The best advice I can give is don't wait until you feel completely ready. Women, including myself, feel they need to know everything before pursuing a new opportunity. At the beginning, it was really super hard for me to switch, and I was afraid that I couldn't finish because I was going to get a loan and there was a lot of money involved. But during this journey, I met a lot of people who helped me and mentored me. Don't be afraid - just push yourself, and you'll be fine. Start connecting to people when you're young, because building those relationships early is so important. Don't be afraid to try new things, because sometimes you don't know what you like until you try everything. Seek mentors - mentors are really important in life, in everything. Ask questions and don't compare your beginner self with someone else who's in the middle or end of their journey. You always bring valuable stuff to the table. And be consistent - if you stay on track and follow your goals, you're going to realize which path is best for you.

Right now, the biggest challenge is keeping up with the technology and AI. It's overwhelming sometimes, but at the same time, it's so interesting. Today, for example, I just learned about Codex - not just ChatGPT anymore. There are so many different AIs coming up, and every one of them is doing different things and becoming more powerful. Keeping up with all of this as my age goes up and keeping up with young people is challenging. But at the same time, when you're learning and you compare yourself with other people, you enjoy it - you're on a train with them, you're moving, and you're going forward, and that's enjoyable. We manage it through a roadmap where each month we have individual goals we need to meet. Our manager keeps up with us through meetings to make sure we're on the right track at the right time. We need to make sure we're aligned with our role while learning all these new tools.