Aashini Shah
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grow up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, I graduated UW-Madison with a bachelors in actuarial science and USC with my MBA. I started my career in healthcare consulting but realized in a few years that I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing so I decided to go get my MBA and look at opportunities in sports and entertainment because that was something I’ve always been passionate about. So, I didn’t know that I would be doing what I am doing right now even 8 years ago – had a few different turns in my careers before I ended up doing what I do now (Strategy at a television network/studio)
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I do strategy for ABC studios and network – I don’t have a regular day to day schedule, just depends on what we need to get done that day. It is very similar to consulting in that sense.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
My job is pretty quant heavy so math is a big part of my every day. I use a lot of different things from my degrees – recently I had to run regressions, which I learned when I was an actuary.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
There are challenges at times because the stem field can be male-dominated. Sometimes groups can be boys clubs and to break-in you have to speak their language. I was lucky enough to be someone who is passionate about sports and that has helped me break that barrier at times and at times I have not been able to.
5. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I don’t think there is a balance as much as integrating those two together so you are making the most of both aspects of your life. I’ve had different versions of integration throughout my career – at the beginning of college there was very little personal and as I have progressed in my career there is a better integration of the personal and making sure my personal priorities aren’t lost in my work. I think what I would say is each person is different and they value different things and based on that they have to come up with best way to integrate the aspects of their life together.
6. What do you define success as?
For me success is more about helping move the company I work for forward, making sure I am helping my employees move their careers forward and in the end all of that will eventually help move me forward.
7. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Perseverance. No career is smooth sailing and the ability to persevere through it all and keep doing your best is what will help make a career successful.
8. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
The best advice I received is that I manage my career and nobody else – you can’t wait for someone to handhold you and guide you through your career, you need to have the initiative and drive to do so yourself.
If I had a chance I would tell my younger self to get more involved. I used to be on periphery of things and during my MBA and post-MBA I took on more leadership opportunities instead of shying away from them, which is what I used to do. It has made a significant difference in my confidence and they have all been rewarding experiences. So my advice is to get involved and don’t shy away from subjects/skills that may make you uncomfortable.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, I graduated UW-Madison with a bachelors in actuarial science and USC with my MBA. I started my career in healthcare consulting but realized in a few years that I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing so I decided to go get my MBA and look at opportunities in sports and entertainment because that was something I’ve always been passionate about. So, I didn’t know that I would be doing what I am doing right now even 8 years ago – had a few different turns in my careers before I ended up doing what I do now (Strategy at a television network/studio)
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I do strategy for ABC studios and network – I don’t have a regular day to day schedule, just depends on what we need to get done that day. It is very similar to consulting in that sense.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
My job is pretty quant heavy so math is a big part of my every day. I use a lot of different things from my degrees – recently I had to run regressions, which I learned when I was an actuary.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
There are challenges at times because the stem field can be male-dominated. Sometimes groups can be boys clubs and to break-in you have to speak their language. I was lucky enough to be someone who is passionate about sports and that has helped me break that barrier at times and at times I have not been able to.
5. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I don’t think there is a balance as much as integrating those two together so you are making the most of both aspects of your life. I’ve had different versions of integration throughout my career – at the beginning of college there was very little personal and as I have progressed in my career there is a better integration of the personal and making sure my personal priorities aren’t lost in my work. I think what I would say is each person is different and they value different things and based on that they have to come up with best way to integrate the aspects of their life together.
6. What do you define success as?
For me success is more about helping move the company I work for forward, making sure I am helping my employees move their careers forward and in the end all of that will eventually help move me forward.
7. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Perseverance. No career is smooth sailing and the ability to persevere through it all and keep doing your best is what will help make a career successful.
8. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
The best advice I received is that I manage my career and nobody else – you can’t wait for someone to handhold you and guide you through your career, you need to have the initiative and drive to do so yourself.
If I had a chance I would tell my younger self to get more involved. I used to be on periphery of things and during my MBA and post-MBA I took on more leadership opportunities instead of shying away from them, which is what I used to do. It has made a significant difference in my confidence and they have all been rewarding experiences. So my advice is to get involved and don’t shy away from subjects/skills that may make you uncomfortable.
