Chloe Tohoy is called to both her dreams of Filmmaking and her passion for Psychology. Here’s how she’s leaving the door open for both.
On 19 August 2024, the Professional Regulation Commission published the list of passers for the 2024 Psychometricians Licensure Examination. Among the seven thousand plus examinees who became Psychometricians overnight was Chloe Tohoy, who discovered the news the morning after via congratulatory messages from friends and family.
Chloe is a Warehouse and Studio Associate with AGC Power Holdings Corp. – the largest media company in the country – where she assists all its various departments and publications. Clearly she’s been killing it, too, because she was given a leadership award at AGCPHC’s employee recognition ceremony.
via AGC Power Holdings (@agcphcorp on Instagram)
Managing such a demanding job while self-studying for – and /passing/ – the Psychometricians Licensure Exam? Such a slay. NYLON Manila sat down with Chloe to hear her story and here are the things we’re learning from her experience.
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The Pros and Cons of Pride
Chloe shares that she originally wanted to enter the Film industry, but then shifted to the medical field due to practical considerations. Graduating from Benilde with a degree in Psychology, she is able to use what she’s learned about people in her day-to-day life. It was happy accident that she ended up in media, where she’s able to learn all about production.
This all begs the question: why take the exam? Chloe admits, “I’m going to be honest. Malaking part is pride! I grew up with people thinking na “Ah, magaling mag-aral itong bata na ’to. High achiever itong bata na ‘to.” So for me this was the next thing na kailangan ko i-pasa itong exam na ‘to.”
This pride also led her to studying for the exam without the help of a review center, which gave Chloe a large sense of satisfaction. But it wasn’t without dread. She recalls, “As someone na lumaki na naka-base yung value sa academic validation, super na-validate ako. Hello, Asian household – na parang we are forced to study. Kailangan galingan mo, to the point na feeling ko masyado ko siya na-internalize. Na iiyakan ko yung grade na 83 kahit pasado naman.“
Any recovering overachiever/former gifted child can relate. When the bar for excellence is set to as near as perfect as possible, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Chloe advises treating yourself with kindness: “I should have been kinder to myself as a student because I used to beat myself up. At the end of the day those things don’t really matter. Papasa ka pa naman, you’ll survive college parin kahit ganito lang yang grade mo at ganito lang grade mo sa subject. Don’t box yourself into achievement.”
At the end of the day, done is better than perfect. And anything worth doing is worth doing poorly if it means you can move forward and enjoy your life.
Giving Back
via Mind You PH (@mindyoumhs on Instagram)
Another consideration that led Chloe taking the licensure exam was what she learned from her course: “I see the need for it, not just for myself but society and culture-wise. Like, for every one hundred patients there’s only one psychologist or psychiatrist. Ganun ka kaunti yung population.” While today’s generation is known to be more socially aware, especially in the area of mental health, professional help is not yet as accessible as it could be and the stigma around seeking it can still be felt.
The Philippines has the third highest rate of mental disorders in the Western Pacific, and this complex issue is exacerbated by the lack of resources available. Many who take Psychology in university choose to pursue opportunities overseas or careers in the Human Resources field. “Iilan lang ang nagiging psychometrician or psychologist. If ever magreresign ako dito, gusto ko sa field na yun para I can give back sa community,” Chloe explains.
Sometimes, when our dreams don’t work out, we can find new ones. And it can be really rewarding to find something where you not only get to engage in something you have a genuine interest in, but also help others in a meaningful capacity. After all, every job serves its special function in society. It’s just a matter of finding what fits, right?
Slow Down and Figure It Out
Thankfully for us over at AGCPHC, Chloe posed her leaving the industry to pursue a career in medicine as a hypothetical.“It’s the season of figuring things out muna for me,” she expressed. In today’s extremely fast-paced and highly-connected environment, the temptation to compare yourself to others and beat yourself up for not achieving the same things people your age have is always present. But what’s important is that we allow ourselves to experience life and figure things out. As Chloe puts it, “Masyadong pressured ang mga tao ngayon to be successful, which is a good thing. Gen Z, all of us really want to pursue success, gusto ng stable na buhay. Pero wag tayo mag-madali. Ok lang if it will take you years to figure out kung ano ba talaga gusto mo sa buhay.”
There are so many different occupations and lifestyles out there to choose from. Plus, the doors you previously thought were closed to you might still be waiting for you to revisit whenever you so choose. “Hindi naman kasi one way yung pag achieve ng pangarap mo,” Chloe reminds us. From giving up on her dreams of filmmaking to ending up in a company where she gets to work with and observe firsthand the behind-the-scenes of some of the biggest media titles in the Philippines, and then putting her entrance into the medical field on hold only to strong-arm her way back in through sheer force of willpower, we can see that when we put our minds to something we can do more than we think we can.
If you’re still struggling to figure out what path to take in life, don’t worry. You have your whole life ahead of you. Chloe advises, “Do not box yourself into just one career, lalo na if bata ka pa. Sobrang dami mo pang pwede i-explore. Try everything and then decide from there first.”
Images courtesy of Chloe Tohoy (via Instagram)
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