Ana Miranda Word Count: 832
ENGL 21002
Prof. Anna Steegmann
Hopes for the Future and Success Through the Eyes of a Millennial
Industrial economics. A term I may have heard before but found not memorable enough to remember what it means, at least not until I interviewed my classmate N. C. I became curious to learn more about the profession when I saw her excitement. This particular interview felt familiar to me in the sense of flow, in my everyday life working as a bartender, I naturally tend to “interview” people that sit at my bar. But I am also sure that N.C.’s easy-going yet grounded personality helped. From family life to plans as an industrial economics professional, and her dislike for peanut butter, N.C. seemed genuine and focused on the life she intends to create for herself.
It was Wednesday morning, and the exercise for our Social Sciences class was to interview a classmate who had some physical similarity to me. Outfits, shoes, or even hair length and color. N.C. and I paired up. She was wearing jeans and a jean jacket, over a Champion white T-shirt, Nike shoes, and a ponytail that made her cool black glasses stand out. I wore a similar outfit, even the ponytail (bad hair day for me), and for those reasons – BAM – we found each other for the exercise. The whole room got rowdy as everyone started interviewing. We decided to move outside so that we could hear each other better.
We sat on the floor, and N.C. seemed eager to answer my questions as she got into a comfortable position and laid her back against the wall. I found out that her name has no particular meaning. She grew up in the Dominican Republic and lived there until she was nine years old. I asked if she misses it at all. She does, “especially my grandmother from my mom’s side.” As soon as she said that, I connected to her right away. I moved here from a different country when I was younger and when people asked me what or if I missed Brazil, I would always answer: “my grandmother from my mom’s side,” We had more than missing family members in common. We also love sneakers, Nike’s, especially! We derailed from a topic that could turn more emotional to noticing each other’s shoes. She even knew my Nike’s model. That was cool!
I asked her why she chose Industrial Economics. D. She took microeconomics in high school and enjoyed it. Aside from numbers, her profession also deals with human behavior, of which N.C. is interested. I asked what she likes and dislikes the most in people. N.C. slowly changed her facial expression from a relaxed smile to a more firm and focused one and said, “when people don’t say what they think and give you attitude,” and it seemed like she had a few experiences that involved this behavior herself by her reaction. She confirmed my perception of her when she shared what she likes the most in people, “I like when people are funny and laid back, that’s how I am too.” Taking life seriously, but with some humor and lightness seemed to be N.C.’s approach.
N.C. would love to work for a big private company and would also like to live in Manhattan (SOHO). She had a six figures salary goal, and being successful was very important to her. I felt excited to hear more about her definition of success. We all have our own, so I inquired about her definition of success. I was surprised by this nineteen-year-old girl’s answer. N.C. defined success as being known for what she does, not what she owns. Having a legacy and “being comfortable financially” as she put it, are part of her goals ten years from now. So, what if she won the lotto? N.C. said she would buy a jet “to go places.”
In the last minutes of the interview, I decided to go full circle and bring back the subject of family, since it seemed to be an influential piece at N.C.’s take on life and school. I asked how close she was to her family, mainly her parents, to which she answered gaily, “I’m close to my mom and dad, but especially to my mom.” She added that in the family, they have an open dialogue — everyone’s opinions matter. Her mom decided to move to the U.S. A because she wanted N.C. to have a better education. This act added to how important her parents are to her.
Aside from not liking peanut butter (a concept that doesn’t make sense in my mind), N.C. and I had a lot in common. She is grounded, focused, and ambitious, but also light-hearted, open-minded and self-aware. I believe that she can achieve all of her goals and that she is a lucky girl to have so much love and support from her family. I got to understand a field in economics that I never knew existed before. This exercise was an excellent experience for me to tune in with my interviewing skills and style.
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