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- Year Of Graduation: 2023 (Bachelor’s), 2024 (Master’s)
- College/University: University of New Mexico
- Major: Mathematics & Philosophy (Bachelor’s), Statistics (Master’s)
What do you do for a living? Can you share what a typical day at work looks like? Do you enjoy what you do?
I’m a teacher. I teach K-12 at a private school. On an average day, I like to wake up an hour early for work just because I like to have enough time in the morning to get ready and feel like a human being. I go to school, and I have a bunch of different prep periods and teaching periods. I make my lesson plans or homework plans, and then I go teach, and sometimes there’s a math club after school, so I’ll stay for that.
Other than that, I go home and just kind of hang out, which has been awesome. Normally, in my college days, I didn’t really hang out much. I was always very busy. I actually just started up a sketch class recently, but that’s only once on Tuesdays. So, it’s still a very light schedule.
I love my job. I mean, I wasn’t expecting to love it, but I would definitely say that it’s 4.7 out of 5 because I enjoy the kids a lot. That’s not something that you really calculate in job satisfaction, but the people that you’re around really do change it.
Can you tell me about your experience finding a job after graduation? Are you happy with where your journey has led you thus far?
I was going into the job market at the end of my master’s degree. I had already gotten my job because I had to push my graduation back a month, and I had already submitted all my job applications. So at the same time that I was fulfilling my thesis, I was taking interviews. I was practically hired by the time that I submitted my thesis and graduated.
When I was looking, though, I was like, “My options are either an AI developer or a teacher.” I thought that the closest thing I had was teaching experience, because I had been a TA. So I started applying to a bunch of different ones, and I actually ended up getting connected with a company called Carney Sandoe, and they recruit teachers for private schools in the US. You get an agent, and they send you the information for schools that are looking to hire. That’s how I got my job.
Why did you choose your undergrad major? Do you feel your time spent in college was valuable? Why or why not?
I was originally in biology, but I realized that I hated it when I did really badly in chemistry. In my eyes, it was as if I’d failed, because I was always very high-achieving academically. Besides that, the only things I really liked were my math and philosophy classes. I took more of the same classes the next year, and eventually my adviser was like, “Hey girl, you’ve got to stop taking math classes.” And I was like, “I’d rather just change my major.” So that’s just kind of how I found it. I wasn’t really expecting it.
I also wanted to explore neurology so that I could understand people, but as it turns out, that’s not really what I was looking for. Philosophy was an easier way to try and understand people.
It’s a kind of hard to definitively say if my time in college was valuable, it depends on the way we’re looking at it. Socially, not so much, just because it was during COVID, so I didn’t really get to make very many friends. As far as career growth, definitely.
If I asked you three years ago, what goals would you hope you’ve achieved, in life or career?
I was probably thinking, “I love stats and math, but I would love to be a professional actress or performer someday.” I always thought that would be amazing. I think if my past self looked at me now, she’d be like, “Yeah, that makes sense.” I don’t think it was what she was envisioning, but she knows herself. I know myself, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I had completely changed who I am in 3 years.
How important is it to have a purpose-driven life? Why or why not? Do you think you’re on a path to do that? If not, what needs to change?
I’m just going to answer it simply. I think it’s very important for me. I think at this moment I’m defining it as friendships, connections, and community. In the past, always trying to find the answers was something I thought would bring purpose, but now it’s definitely the interpersonal things that are very driving for me.
This is maybe a silly metaphor, but I think about when I try to play with my cat. If he allows himself to believe that the toy rat is real, then it’s so fun for him. But if he was sitting there looking at the rat, saying, “That’s not even a real rat. It’s made out of stuffing,” he would never want to play. I think the same thing kind of goes for human beings. If you think that the purpose you’re searching for is bland, or isn’t real, or isn’t happening yet, you don’t ever get to notice that you’re living a purposeful life as you are already.
What’s your biggest struggle right now? What led to it? How are you moving forward?
I think career stuff is always a general struggle, but I don’t think it’s necessarily the biggest. I think the biggest is probably more interpersonal. It’s more along the lines of conceptualizing the fact that the children that I’m teaching are going to grow up and change, because I’ve never loved such a large group of people before. It’s such a small school, so everyone’s deeply personal and friendly with each other. That’s been something that’s very scary for me to conceptualize. I don’t know if it’s the biggest problem, but it’s definitely the biggest thing that kind of weighs my emotions down when it pops up in my head.
My coworker who likes to meditate told me that it’s important to take a step back, and think about where you are, and who the people are in your life, and what your relationships with them are. You just have to take it in and appreciate it. It’s mindfulness, it’s kind of accepting that things are going to change at times, and enjoying experiences and relationships as they come.
What interests/hobbies bring you the most happiness?
Recently, it’s been making wigs. That’s super fun. I used to be a costume maker, so I’ve been making some costumes as well. That was also super fun. I like things where I can kind of sit down and concentrate, and then at the end have something really cool.
I’ve been trying to write too. Like I said, I’m doing a sketch class. And then generally, I always love plants. I love my cat. I like to DIY him some toys because he’s just like me. He gets bored easily. He needs new stuff. And then I don’t know if it’s necessarily a hobby, but I go out to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race every single Friday with my friends. We go to the same bar. The drag queen knows us.
What do you want to spend more time working on? What is stopping you?
It’s probably going to be my hobbies. I’m already spending a lot of time on them, but I think I may have tipped my balance a little where it’s kind of all community all the time, and I say yes to everything because I have my friends, and I love them. But I think I’d maybe like to just do what I’m doing tonight, where I stay in and I color and I watch Real Housewives. I need more of that alone time, especially because I’m surrounded by screaming children eight hours a day.
If we traveled three years into the future of your life, what do you want to achieve? What would you hope has changed?
Maybe more space just to work on my hobbies. Maybe more dedication to the hobbies too, because recently I’ve been thinking about a lot of things that I want to do, but I don’t necessarily finish them all. So maybe that’s what I would like to see. Learning to dedicate myself to my hobbies in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming or exhausting, or unfulfilling.
What’s the biggest lesson or piece of advice you wish you’d known earlier?
You can change your career paths. Who cares? I love this job, but I would still leave it if I had a career in front of me that I wanted. You can break leases, you can break relationships, you can stop being friends with people, you can do whatever you want, including changing jobs. There’s kind of an unspoken two-way street for everything.
Connect With Jaimasan:
- LinkedIn: @JaimasanSutton
- YouTube: @Jaimasan
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