Season 1, Episode 2: It Girl
Meet Chandy, a prolific writer, researcher, and quality control manager for a biology instruments company. In this episode, we talk about transitioning from being a university student to a 9-5 career lady, what motivates us to go to work, how can we make a difference in the world through our work, the pressure of potential, the importance of networking, setting attainable goals, and what it's like being an "It Girl."
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Chandy is a dear friend of mine, a prolific hiking partner and a former co-worker at The Cascade. We met as undergrads and now we’re two working girls getting our careers started. Chandy is one of the hardest working people I know; she worked almost full-time hours at two different jobs (an editor at The Cascade and in a pharmacy) while completing her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of the Fraser Valley.
When Chandy graduated from UFV in early 2022, I witnessed her smooth transition from the student body to the workforce. Thanks to the connections she gained while studying, she secured a job as a Quality Control Manager for a biology instruments company. We talked about the ever-looming question of “what next?” We pondered over whether or not it would be beneficial to continue with academia and get a master’s degree, and what the next steps are on the STEM career ladder.
Chandy attributes her strong work ethic to growing up in a low-income household. She works hard, makes sacrifices, saves money, and gains a sense of security and comfort that was lacking in her childhood. We discussed how we were both able to graduate debt-free by keeping our cost of living low and working multiple jobs on top of our full-time course loads.
Despite living the lives our younger selves had once envisioned for us, Chandy and I feel disillusioned with the 9-5 lifestyle and are wondering when we’ll both have enough free time to be an “It Girl.” Chandy explains the “It Girl” or “That Girl aesthetic best in this article she wrote for The Cascade in 2021:
“Let me paint the picture for who “that girl” is: she’s the chick who starts her day at 5:00 a.m. with a skin care routine, a workout in her Lululemons, and a green smoothie bowl. She proceeds with the rest of her morning routine — and she definitely has one — that might include journaling, meditation, or creating a to-do list before sitting down to study at her pastel-coloured desk. Her notes are immaculate, clean, and neat — just like her. By the end of the day, she’s crossed everything off her list and still has time to dive into a book. She’s called “that girl” because people notice how put together she is; she’s the best version of you ...
No one will ever be “that girl.” She isn’t real, and anyone trying to sell you on being “that girl” is carefully curating their image on Instagram or TikTok. The reason why she doesn’t exist is because it’s exhausting to uphold; there’s no room in “that girl’s” routine for binging on ice cream, mental illness, getting ghosted by crusty boys, or waking up at 1:00 p.m. on a weekday. There’s no room to be human.”
We talked about mental health and how Chandy remained mentally strong during a family crisis. She talks about learning to let emotions pass through her, and the calm that comes when shit hits the fan and having a mental breakdown simply is not an option.
Chandy is one of the most level-headed people you’ll meet. We candidly discuss the “pressure of potential” and compare our career paths to those we graduated high school or university with. I always find myself at a fork in the road with every job hunt: do I pick the job that has more stability or one that gives me more freedom? Do I choose job security or hustling and independence? Chandy pointed out to me that we’re both in privileged stages of our lives where we can do whatever we want; we are young, unmarried, free of children or dependents, no huge debts like mortgages weighing us down, we have the freedom to be satisfied with less.
Finally, we talk about making smaller, more attainable goals for ourselves. Redefining the “boxes” that society tells us need to be checked and forging our own paths.
Thanks for coming on my podcast Chandy! You’re a gem of a human and a true friend!
