Her Story
About Safa
I'm currently working as a research coordinator in the biotech field here in Austin. I come from a family where all my family members are physicians and doctors, so I've always been surrounded by and connected to the medical and health fields. Throughout my career, I've explored many different paths to find what truly fits me. I have a pharmaceutical degree and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a while, but I found the long hours weren't what I wanted for my career. During graduate school, I was a research assistant for five years, teaching undergrad students at the same time. I've taught at every level - community college, public and charter high schools, middle school, and even elementary in a private school. Teaching is okay for me and I do it as a substitute sometimes, but I don't want it as a full-time career. Right now, I'm working part-time with a startup that began in 2015, and while it's growing and expanding fast, it's still taking time to establish a foothold here in Austin where there are many startups. I have extensive experience with everything they're doing - I've literally written different protocols that they're working with and manuscripts - so I get to review and provide feedback, though I'm not yet fully part of the writing process since I don't have a PhD yet. I'm also finishing up my EMT school, which is something I've wanted to do for a very long time because I want direct patient contact, not just lab research. That will also help me get into the fire department, which is something I really want to do part-time. Additionally, I volunteer with the NAMI National Warm Line, which is similar to a crisis hotline but for people who need to talk to someone when they're not in immediate danger, though we do sometimes get serious calls that we have to transfer to crisis services.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Safa
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was to try different things that might interest me, not just stick to one thing because I think I'll be good at it. It's important to find something that's not only a good fit for what I'm good at, but also a good fit for me personally. Environment is a big thing - if you're valued in that position or that company you work for, even if it's a small role, you can grow in there. I've definitely been in situations where I was not valued for the longest time and I got burned out, so now whenever I go work for someone, I make sure the environment is right for me.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Patience is really important. It takes time - not everything comes right away. Sometimes, a lot of times, you have to stick to that, even if it's a part-time role or whatever you're willing to do the work. Whenever you can, you can always keep asking. Not always there's going to be something, but they will keep you in mind. And you'll slowly start getting things, and when you start putting your feedback in, they see that it's something important and how you could contribute. Then you start getting something more to put your input into, and you might get into some bigger role, but you need to have the patience to stick to it. But if you know what you want to do, where you want to go, you'll get it. It will take time, but you will get there.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In current times, it's still a lot harder to get into the biotech industry. Even with my interest and experience, it took me more than one and a half years, almost two years, to get my foot in the door. The biotech role I'm doing right now is still not full-time, it's part-time, so I still have to work hard and prove myself to see if it will turn into full-time. It's challenging, especially right now with hiring getting really hard. A lot of times, even if you have experience in the science field, they want you to have experience in the exact role they're hiring for, which makes it a lot more challenging. Here in Austin, there are a lot of startups that started recently and are growing and expanding fast, but they still take a little bit of time to establish themselves and offer more opportunities.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think the most important thing is respect. If someone is disrespecting me in any way or form at work, I'm not staying there. For my personal life, it's the same - respect is key to everything. There should be respect in everything, and if there is not respect, it probably doesn't work.
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