Human Parts

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From Physics to Astrology and Back

Tatiana Gwon
Human Parts
Published in
7 min readMar 26, 2025

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Photo credit: Alexander Ozerov via Adobe Stock

My teachers noticed early on that I had a knack for languages and math. I devoured books, grasped mathematical concepts effortlessly, and saw intricate patterns where others saw only numbers and words. As I grew older, I developed an interest in foreign languages as well, but when the time came to choose a path, I pursued mathematics and physics in college. That path led me to graduate school, where I immersed myself in theoretical physics research.

And then — my ascent stalled.

Miscommunications, bad luck, and an uncanny string of “unfavorable” synchronicities conspired to derail my once-promising academic career.

After defending my Ph.D., I found myself at a crossroads.

I had become so bitter and disillusioned with academic life that I decided to leave it altogether. And yet, transitioning into industry — despite having the skills to go into data science or software — held no appeal either.

I eventually hit upon the idea of teaching at a community college. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I loved telling a good story, taking something complex and breaking it down into something easy to understand. I enjoyed working with others…

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Tatiana Gwon
Tatiana Gwon

Written by Tatiana Gwon

Beside her day job of college administrator, which she loves and enjoys, Tatiana Gwon, Ph.D., writes, speaks, and coaches professionals through life changes.