Gen Z is facing unprecedented and accelerated change at a time in their lives where they’re just beginning to get their footing. The entry-level jobs that serve as the first rung in their career ladder have been most affected, and reconfiguring work in a way that makes sense (especially for early-career workers) is still a ways off.
In a world that is being reshaped by AI and automation, H22™AI believes that clarity about who you are and why you’re here matters more than ever. This blog series hosted by H22 CEO and Founder Heather Jerrehian features questions crafted to explore the ways self-knowledge contributes to the purpose and passion that will help pull Gen Z through these times. They’re designed to surface something deeper than the trappings of titles or achievements and explore what makes you, uniquely YOU.
Heather spoke with Megan Shehab, who is entering her second year of an MBA program with a focus on Data Science and Business Analytics at Santa Clara University. After working at Tesla, Megan currently works at Rivian in Service Operations, where she uses AI to streamline workflows, improve knowledge accessibility, and increase efficiency. Through H22’s partnership with SCU Leavey, Megan joined an exclusive cohort with early access to H22. The cohort is sharing structured feedback to optimize the platform, while gaining valuable professional skills for themselves.
Heather: When do you feel most energized — what are you doing?
Megan: I feel the most energized when I’m learning something that I don’t already know, both career-wise and educationally. With my bachelor's, I feel like I picked one of the harder concentrations of accounting, and then the same thing with my MBA. I like to challenge myself in whatever way possible, and just being curious and learning new things and asking questions. I find that the more that I'm just surrounding myself with smart people and cross-functional people who may have different backgrounds, I can learn so much from them.
Heather: What is a strength you have that the world hasn’t fully seen yet?
Megan: It’s definitely my ability to make sense of complex technology. When I was at Tesla, one of the biggest things that I loved was explaining full self-driving to customers. I enjoy being personable and talking to people who might be really rigid in their thinking and helping them see 80 different ways of looking at something they hadn't considered before.
Heather: What skill are you deliberately building right now — and why?
Megan: I’m actively building my technical fluency in AI. I’m doing that through my MBA, but also by going to hackathons. It can be intimidating to be in a room with people who might be 5 to 10x smarter about this than me, but I end up learning so much. I’ve been learning Python, Tableau, and MySQL, and it’s been incredible to tie that into my actual work. The technical fluency is helping me build my career, and I can have discussions with teams I wouldn't have been able to prior. Sometimes when you can't talk as deeply or technically about things, you kind of edge yourself out of conversations.
Heather: In a world where AI can do more and more, what should remain deeply human?
Megan: This has been a big topic at a lot of conferences that I go to, actually. I think a lot of it comes down to the core of being human: having your own judgment and empathy. I feel like AI sometimes lacks empathy, curiosity, and trust.
I’d compare it to the difference between connecting with people remotely versus in-person. You don't build the same personal relationships over a Zoom call as you do when you’re in a small in-person group for even five minutes. It becomes more of a connection. I think that's the element that AI is never gonna be able to replace. You can ask AI for tips on building relationships, but the actual execution layer of meeting people, talking with people, has to come from you.
Heather: Do you have a favorite quote or saying that strongly resonates with you?
Megan: My favorite movie is Moneyball. There’s a quote in there: "Adapt or die".
I played softball for years. While he's talking about baseball, I apply it to almost everything in my life. I think that no matter if it's career, school, or personal life, there's always going to be things you have to adapt to.
You cannot prepare for every single outcome that you think is gonna happen, so I see it as you either adapt to your new situation, the new environment, the new role, the new task at hand, or you pretty much just have to say, I'm quitting, and I'm moving to the next thing. And either way, it's adapting, which I think is so incredibly important.
I think this will help people, too, with the new AI environment we are heading towards. I am more on the positive, forward-thinking side of it, where yes, it's disrupting a lot, but the majority of people I know are building really cool products and new workflows. If you can adapt to that and pivot your career however you need to, or maybe go get more education, you're gonna be fine. I think it's those that push against it that are not going to do as well.
Heather: What is a common misunderstanding about your generation that you'd love to correct?
Megan: I think in the corporate world, people see those from my generation and think ‘Oh, they just feel entitled’ they just think they should be able to get this role. And so they might be screened out because they are seen as not as experienced, or because of the generation that they're a part of, but they may have worked incredibly hard and have done enough to earn a spot.
That's how I started at Tesla. I proved myself. I showed up 2 hours early every single day to do whatever I needed to do before everyone on my team came in, just to prove myself. I don't think entitlement really gets you anywhere at any stage in your life. I think you have to prove yourself. But I think there should be more opportunities for people with less experience, like internships and contract roles.
I want to succeed, and I want to make it to the C-Suite, and in order to do that I need to push really hard, even if it means 18-hour days. That was me at Tesla, arriving to work at 3 a.m. and moving and washing cars before the sun came up. So that stereotype of being lazy shouldn’t be applied to everyone in my generation!
