September Workshop Recap
Authored by Jonathan Tick.
Edited by Kaitlyn Castro and Mela Ottaiano.
On September 6, 2021, Mojdeh Gharbi joined Global Impact Initiative for a workshop discussion about the value of passion in the work environment and the importance of open-mindedness when searching for job positions. Because in her words, “Career paths are zigzags.”
Background
Mojdeh Gharbi started the conversation with her background and experience that led her to her current position. Gharbi holds a degree in Advertising and a minor in Business; with 25 years of marketing, operation, and sales experience. Right now, she is the Vice President of Marketing and Co-Owner of Certain Affinity, the largest independent video game developer that’s worked with Microsoft. To date, Certain Affinity has collaborated with Microsoft to produce several installments in the Halo franchise, like Halo 2 and Halo Reach, as well as installments of the Call of Duty franchise, such as Black Ops and Ghosts.
Prior to Certain Affinity, Gharbi started her career path working in real estate with her parents. She then worked at several advertising agencies, such as Leo Burrnet, before moving to Seattle with her husband. From there, she would go on to work for Microsoft for a few years in Marketing, before arriving where she is now at Certain Affinity. Gharbi highlighted the shape of her career path, noting its zigzag shape due to the variety of different fields she’s worked in. She says it’s all thanks to a combination of flexibility and passion. While her early career put her on the path of advertising and business, her nerdy and geekier passions led her to a different path where she could combine her many interests and skills in a job position that she enjoys.
Passion and Application
While noting the positives of passion, namely how it can drive people to be goal-oriented towards a desired path, Gharbi also notes its key role as a double-edged sword that could nudge someone towards something that may be less desirable in the long run.
“Look to Evolve; Be Flexible” - Mojdeh Gharbi
In order to prevent career limitations, Gharbi chiefly expressed that exploring different subjects to diversify one’s knowledge and experience is the best way to find one’s own passion(s). She explained further that by absorbing a multitude of different subjects and fields, the possibility to break down each of those different experiences and reshape them into a group of personal likes and endeavors becomes much more possible in the long run. Instead of using passion as a driving force in order to get yourself into something you like, Gharbi expresses that it’s better to use passion as a gateway to figure out a multitude of possibilities that you could pursue based on both previous and current experiences. By doing so, you can create building blocks of different skills and experiences that can be used further down the road in a variety of different professions.
Plan A, she says, should never be the only plan that you should follow. But rather, Plan B through Z should also be considered as they would be just as valuable as the original path that you first thought of for yourself.
Experience: A Valuable Resource
Gharbi explored the idea of experience and its value in many forms. Smaller things like volunteer work and community service, she noted, could serve to be just as worthwhile as job experience in a field you’re passionate about. Ghardi also explained to never get too comfortable with one spot for too long, as she notes, “When you get too comfortable, you don’t learn.” It’s important to push yourself and your own boundaries so you can continue learning and gaining new experiences and passions to drive you forward.
Critically, Gharbi also talked about mentorship and the value that comes from learning from someone already experienced in the field. In a similar vein to the topics she talked about prior, Gharbi explained that mentors, much like passions, can come from anywhere as well. Community leaders or managers of part-time work are just as valuable as team leaders in an ideal workplace and can fulfill the role as mentors. As experience is not limited to just the place where you want to work; Gharbi notes how important it is for you to gain experience in anything, no matter what it may be.
Advice From a Professional
At the end of the workshop, Gharbi expressed a few key points to take into consideration for future career and job opportunities.
Find Your Superpower: Hone your skills in what you enjoy or what you’re good at in order to become an appealing and valuable asset in those areas. This can be your superpower.
Value Your Relationships: Connections are both important and the most valuable resource to have, according to Gharbi. Investing in both personal and professional relationships will help out in the long run. Put yourself out there so you can find and nurture those relationships in order to become a more valuable team member and reliable ally to have in a pinch.
Don’t Limit Yourself: Gharbi ends the workshop with her most important note: Don’t limit what you can or cannot do. Opportunities that slip by are potential learning and job experiences that you may never have the chance to obtain again. Therefore, Ghardi notes how important it is to always keep an open mind and take in whatever possibilities that you have in front of you. You never know when you’ll be able to find another passion or experience to add to your resume.
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