Zeroing My Life: First Month in Climate-Tech Startup
I recently put my Master’s degree plan on hold. Simply because when I wasn’t successful on the first try, it made me rethink of what exactly do I need not what I want.
It turns out, what I need is a stable income. My mom strongly encouraged me to find a “real job” (in her definition, at least!). Well, actually, I was trying way before my mom told me to do so. In 2025, I was juggling being a Master’s scholarship hunter and a job seeker, all while myself working at a foundation. Anyway, I didn’t dislike the foundation work, idealistically, it wasn’t perfectly aligned with my background, and my true concern lay elsewhere.
My mom told me to get any job available. I didn’t refuse her directly, but deep down, I really didn’t like that idea. My friends also told me I was being too picky or “idealistic” because I admitted it might take a while to find the right fit.
But my thought process was simple: I want to look for a job that suits my profile. To me, that isn’t being idealistic; it’s being realistic. As Gen Z, we don’t want to just work! I personally want to do something I actually care about. If I took a job completely unrelated to my background, it would feel like my true goals were unreachable. I am amazed by people who can just take any job and do it well, but for now, I didn’t think I could.
The Mindful Job Hunt
I was trying mindfully to get a job in line with my profile. I won’t say I tried “hard,” because honestly, I can count the number of applications I sent on one hand, while my friends said they were applying like hundreds?! (which I just can’t do).
My mindset was that looking for a job is a job itself. I simply had to save my energy because I get exhausted easily, and I needed to keep my mental health stable. Even with this mindful approach, the pressure still made me cry to my sister, though that also happened because of my hormonal phase, xixi!
As an Environmental Health graduate, the job market usually points you toward healthcare such as hospitals, primary care, Ministry of Health or corporate roles like HSE, consulting firms, or CSR.
But I didn’t necessarily expect to be exactly where I am today. Not because I was just “going with the flow,” but because my deep concern for climate action led me toward an unexpected but meaningful path.
Entering the Outlier Zone
Recently, I got a job as a Carbon Project Operations at Recoolit.
It’s a US-based climate-tech startup operating in Indonesia. The team is small (less than 20 people), and I work directly with the CEO and the heads of every division, which has made me learn so much just in my first month! It is a male-dominated industry, I am actually the second woman on the team :D However, as long as it aligns with my profile, this is exactly what “work” means in my definition.
My friend told me I’m an “outlier,” and they are probably right. I think the moment I entered a top university in my region, I was already considered an outlier because I was the only one from my school at that time (though I hope more students follow in the coming years!).
From Smelly Landfills to Invisible Super Pollutants
It’s funny how things come full circle. During my final year of study, my thesis dealt with Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) in landfills, a pollutant you absolutely cannot miss because of its pungent smell.
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Now, I’m tackling a “super pollutant” that is arguably more dangerous precisely because it is completely odorless and invisible: Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and refrigerant emissions.
On March 13th, I had the opportunity to go on-site to PT Fata Sarana Makmur in Cikarang with our Technical Operations team. We were there to do the refrigerant recovery process, specifically preventing dozens of kilograms of R410A gas from being vented into the air.
To put this impact into perspective:
R410A has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2,088. This means leaking just 1 kg of this gas is equivalent to releasing over 2,000 kg of CO2 into our atmosphere.
The “business as usual” approach in Indonesia’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning) industry is often to simply vent these gases because it’s easy and they are invisible. But as our CEO of Recoolit, Louis Potok says, this kind of solution is desperately needed! Without intervention, these gases quietly harm the atmosphere while climate change continues unabated.
Thoughts in Ramadhan: “Zeroing My Life”
Stepping into the professional world at a climate-tech startup has been a steep but rewarding learning curve. I call this phase zeroing my life.
Zeroing isn’t the same as starting from scratch. I have my baseline knowledge, but I am unlearning everything. I barely know anything about this specific niche, so I am starting to learn something entirely new. It is a lot to digest in a short time, but it’s the kind of intellectual stimulation that fuels my spirit for growth.
Trusting the Redirection
In the end, putting my Master’s degree plan on hold wasn’t a step backward; it was exactly the redirection I needed. If I had given in to the pressure to take “just any job” simply to check a box, I wouldn’t have found myself at a climate-tech startup, actively preventing super pollutants from destroying our atmosphere. I wouldn’t have met this incredible team, and I wouldn’t be experiencing this massive intellectual growth.
To anyone else out there feeling the pressure to settle, or feeling like you are being “too idealistic” for wanting a career that aligns with your values: trust your pace. Mindful job hunting is valid. Protecting your energy is valid. And “zeroing” your life to learn something completely new is one of the bravest things you can do.
The reality is, I didn’t lose my dream by not going to grad school this year. I just traded a university classroom for the real world.
Maybe one day, when I’m ready and brave enough to take another leap, I will change my path again into something brand new. But for now? I am exactly where I need to be. Cheers, to our growth!
