A senior-level colleague from a different department at work asked me this when we were collaborating on a project that's outside the scope of my regular job. I answered honestly that the work I do is not something I'm passionate about and I've done it out of necessity/because I lacked other opportunities, and that I would prefer to do something that's more intellectually stimulating and impactful.
Since that time he's been guiding me into opportunities to grow and develop lots of new skills and advocating for me along the way and it's been really nice! One of the best things to happen to me this year and it was really nice to have someone pick up on that and ask me.
Dec 11, 2024
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i helped a very sweet elderly man at work one day. he told me this was the key to his happiness and i think about it often. he asked me if i liked my job and we had a long conversation about how he decided to stop being an investment broker and settle down with his girlfriend at the time (now wife lol) and support her business. it was so interesting listening to him talk about falling out of love with his job and falling in love with life. he just quit and never really looked back because despite his former job being a cash cow it wasn't where he wanted to be and he wasn't doing what he wanted to do. gotta follow those instincts sometimes ig
Feb 5, 2025
Been doing a bunch of these as part of my career rebrand (Sandy 2.0) and it’s been really fun! I get to chat with people who have jobs I’m curious about, learn about their paths, how they spend their time, and what challenges they face. Truly wish I’d done this before committing to working in the arts for fourteen years—ya live, ya learn.
Hoping one of these connections might lead to another, but for now, it’s been fun to ride the curiosity wave and activate my listening muscles. 10/10 would recommend.
On the flip, if anyone is curious about working in the arts / museums / curating, I’d be happy to share what I know! Comment or DM me, I’d love to pay it forward.
Mar 24, 2025
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Was your major something you knew you wanted to do since you were a child?
i would say it’s adjacent. looking back on it now my first want was to be an astronaut. so where i am as a software engineer, where my work can potentially help the astronauts in space seems fair. fun fact my brother who is also in the same field worked on chips used in the recent Hubbard satellite.
If not, how did your interests change and how did you settle on one?
while my first career plan was being an astronaut, the one that stuck the most for me was to be in the art field in some way. i wanted to be a graphic designer for the longest time. but i ended up doing computer science in college because i was scared to be a starving artist living in gloomy nyc (not all of it is gloomy but when i toured schools it felt like all the kids needed to be doped up or drinking copious amounts of coffee to get by). i thought with this i could still be creative in some way, or get enough money and time to be creative outside of work.
Did job outlook sway or decide for you in any way? Did you change majors because of it?
when i went to school my career was still in steady motion. i never switched majors for something else.
Do you regret changing or NOT changing majors?
i don’t regret it. i feel with my choice i am able to live the life i am now; where i work to live and not live to work. i am able to balance my work for the 8 hours i am obliged to and fool off the rest of the time. that’s something i realized how much i truly valued creative time or rest.
How did you balance your passions vs. projected job security?
currently, i am in an okay spot with job security. the job market for tech people is not the best, but it’s also not the worst. i think my company also wants me to have that good work life balance because 1) it saves them money not to have to give overtime and 2) you‘ll get burned out if you don’t.
Do you currently have a job inside/outside your field of study?
currently my job is inside my field. i feel like it would be very unwise to move into a career outside of it with my degree 😂
Mar 9, 2025
Top Recs from @taterhole
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too 💌
Feb 23, 2025
May 28, 2025
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I’ve been thinking about how much of social media is centered around curating our self-image. When selfies first became popular, they were dismissed as vain and vapid—a critique often rooted in misogyny—but now, the way we craft our online selves feels more like creating monuments.
We try to signal our individuality, hoping to be seen and understood, but ironically, I think this widens the gap between how others perceive us and who we really are. Instead of fostering connection, it can invite projection and misinterpretation—preconceived notions, prefab labels, and stereotypes. Worse, individuality has become branded and commodified, reducing our identities to products for others to consume.
On most platforms, validation often comes from how well you can curate and present your image—selfies, aesthetic branding, and lifestyle content tend to dominate. High engagement is tied to visibility, not necessarily depth or substance. But I think spaces like PI.FYI show that there’s another way: where connection is built on shared ideas, tastes, and interests rather than surface-level content. It’s refreshing to be part of a community that values thoughts over optics.
By sharing so few images of myself, I’ve found that it gives others room to focus on my ideas and voice. When I do share an image, it feels intentional—something that contributes to the story I want to tell rather than defining it. Sharing less allows me to express who I am beyond appearance.
For women, especially, sharing less can be a radical act in a world where the default is to objectify ourselves. It resists the pressure to center appearance, focusing instead on what truly matters: our thoughts, voices, and authenticity. I’ve posted a handful of pictures of myself in 2,500 posts because I care more about showing who I am than how I look.
In trying to be seen, are we making it harder for others to truly know us? It’s a question worth considering.
Dec 27, 2024