Her Story
About Shahla
Shahla Jahangard serves as a project manager in the oil and gas industry, a position she has held for one year at a petroleum company focused on the business side of gas stations. Prior to this role, she spent two years as a business analyst and two years as a data analyst, including a stint at Venture Global, a major oil and gas firm. She moved to the United States in 2019 and completed a master's degree in statistical science from George Mason University in 2021, following an earlier master's in mathematics. Her professional strengths include investigating errors through root cause analysis, applying a strategic mindset, and making analytical decisions, bolstered by certifications in Python, SAS, R, and CQL. Shahla attributes her success to a persistent drive never to give up and values continuous learning, trusting her intuition, and maintaining a positive, professional demeanor in her work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shahla
01What do you attribute your success to?
I never give up. And if I want something, I should have it. Every time I try, I do my best, and I never, never, ever give up. Sometimes when I say about my life, my past experiences at work and at university with my, you know, friends. They were like, oh my god, you were so strong to do all of this alone. I said, whenever I want to do something, I should do it. I never give up.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say they shouldn't, they should never give up. Follow their dreams. And, do their best to just earn whatever they deserve, you know? It can be very challenging, but if you trust your talents, your... and the timing. Timing matters a lot. We need to wait for the right time, right moment for us that the thing that is like the best for us happens.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The economy in general is not very well... sometimes the decision that has been made in my field was very kind of under this situation... I feel like sometimes decisions are that make in rush. Without just, you know, at the moment, we are under pressure... The opportunities are a lot, actually. I can say in my field, the best opportunity is that my job is not boring. All the time, every day is different from the other. The challenges are different, the projects I'm working on are different, the people I'm dealing with are different, so... it's a very exciting field, you know? Lots of things to learn, grow, and challenge.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Learning is the most important thing for me, not just at work, in my personal life, and all the time, being at the moment and follow my feelings... many times in my life, when I trust on my feeling, on my God, I made the best... When I say, dude, you know my men colleagues, they say, what are you talking about? It doesn't make any sense. But I say, no, you need to trust your gut, you need to trust your feelings.
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