Puja Persaud

I attribute my success to never giving up and never stopping learning. I've been very blessed to get some really nice bosses throughout my career, and the biggest takeaway from them has been to maintain that mindset of continuous growth. Till date, I still take LinkedIn classes and other courses because I feel like no matter what, there's always room for growth. I also believe my work speaks for itself - from landing my first job because someone noticed what I was creating in a Photoshop class, to building respect in male-dominated environments by consistently showing that what I'm saying makes sense. I put empathy into everything I create, always putting myself into the reader's mind or thinking about whoever's looking at my work, and that helps me shape all my communications successfully.

The best career advice I've received from my bosses throughout my career is to never give up and never stop learning. This advice has really shaped how I approach my work and my professional development. I've taken it to heart and continue to apply it - I'm still taking LinkedIn classes and looking for opportunities to grow because I truly believe there's always room for improvement and growth, no matter where you are in your career.

Just believe in yourself. You're stronger and better than you think sometimes. I find that women tend to undermine themselves and don't realize how much potential and how much power they have. So don't give up, keep going - you're gonna get there. When you're working in a field that's mostly made of men, like I do in metering operations, it can be a little hard and it takes a little time to get through. But try to get your word in and try to get them to respect your opinion. It takes time, but eventually you do get it when they see repeatedly that whatever you're saying makes sense. And then there's no going back once you earn that respect.

Definitely there are challenges, especially for women in my field. I work for metering operations where most of our staff is male, so it's a more macho man kind of environment. It's hard to get your word in and get them to respect your opinion when you're in a field that's mostly made of men. It takes time to break through, but eventually you do get that respect when they see repeatedly that whatever you're saying makes sense. On the opportunity side, women definitely have a seat at the table because we come with a very different perspective. We look at things differently - I feel like women have a certain eye for extreme detail that men can't see. Of course, it's good to look at the bigger picture and have a bird's-eye view, but somebody needs to be there to look at the most minute details as well, and that's where women excel.

The values most important to me are honesty, integrity, empathy, and family. Empathy is very important in how I approach my work - whenever I create something or write something, I always put myself into the reader's mind and try to understand what they're thinking when they're looking at my work. That empathy helps me shape all my communications and makes them successful. Family is also at the core of my values, which is why I made the shift to the government sector - I wanted the flexibility to spend more quality time with my daughter when she was young, and I knew I couldn't do the crazy deadlines while being the kind of parent I wanted to be.