Category: UCSD

a thought on college job fairs

It’s like going on fifty first dates within a single morning. You’re unemployed (lonely), inexperienced (clumsy in the sack and unsure of what you want), and desperate for approval.

Please love me! you say as you hand out that résumé. Tell me that I’m wanted and needed, and that I’m not like the others. Tell me that I’m not a waste of space, and that the fancy slip of paper with my name on it actually means something. 

I kept the shorts and sandals at home and remembered to shave.

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–

Up to the first company I go. The recruiter’s wearing a shiny purple ribbon, with “ALUMNI” embroidered in gold. It’s like he’s saying hey, I’ve been in your shoes before. He speaks first.

“So, tell me what you do.”

I tell him. Thirty seconds, tops.

“Cool, we’ll put your résumé into the system.” He opens his hand for the handshake, but by the time our hands meet he’s already looking over my shoulder.

~

~

There would be no second date for us.

unsolicited feedback (or: rollerblading, day 7)

There’s a flat pathway that separates the dorms in the International House. Aside from the manholes and sidewalk cracks, it’s perfect for honing your skating skills.  I do it at night when the traffic is light, and I love it because I can stop and chat with whoever I please.

IMG_0445

I’ve skated on ice before, but the concrete is foreign to me.  Fall on the ice rink and I’ll slide until I hit the foam wall. Fall on concrete and I’ll have a red butt to remember it by. (Fall in front of a cutie in either arena and I can bask in sympathy).

The heel brake on the right boot provides reassurance. Knowing it’s there makes me feel confident to take on more risks and speed, even if the brake itself doesn’t actually work that well. Take it as a learning opportunity — the lack of a proper brake means you’ll have to discover better ways of slowing down.

~

A full week has gone by, and I could only go in a straight line. That is, until Armando shouts from the third-floor window: “Put your hip into it!”

So I did.

And wow, what a world of difference that makes. Instantly, too.

~

Do anything out in public and you are bound to get feedback. Which should you listen to, and which should you ignore? What role should familiarity play in such a decision?

Armando and I were strangers when he first popped his head through the window at 1 AM. And yet, without his advice, there’s a good chance I’d still be struggling to turn left and right.

(a little bit of) silence is golden

Prof. Scott Klemmer on silence:

“When I first started teaching, I made a mistake that a lot of young teachers make. I would ask the class for a question and after 17 milliseconds when nobody had answered, I would jump in and offer the answer myself.

I trained the students that they didn’t need to be  part of the class, that I would always answer every question. There was no reason to participate.

~

One of my colleagues [Jim Hollan] taught me to wait a little longer, and it’s amazing. Even in a quiet classroom before students are used to interacting — let a few seconds of silence happen, and people will start to chime in. The same is true in interviews. You may get a quick answer at first. Let some silence happen. After a few seconds, you’ll hear the second story.

And the second story is often a lot more interesting.”

—

The same is true for conversations with an old friend. Let there be a bit of silence, especially when the question you are asking requires that the other person be vulnerable (and that is a lot to ask for). And when there is silence, don’t use it as an opportunity to think of things for yourself to say — that is the opposite of listening and understanding the other person. Give the other person a chance to think and say what she wants to say before butting in with your own story.

Every once in a while I’ll bump into a new couple who’s obviously super into each other. They’re easy to spot — constantly giggling in each other’s company, and sharing inside jokes that nobody else in the room understands (and  worse, they won’t bother to explain them! “Long story” they say). The more irritating ones may even say, “we finish each other’s sentences!” to show how cute they are together.

But why would you want to do that? I thought making assumptions breaks relationships!

~~

One important caveat: there is an emphasis on a little bit of silence. Too much and the conversation thread will end. Too little and the conversation can devolve into a bout of verbal diarrhea.

Comfortable silences rise when both people trust that the other is just as invested in the relationship as they are. That doesn’t always happen, so I try to cherish it when it does.

 

 

 

Source: Lecture 2.2. "Interviewing". You can find the excerpt at the 10:50 mark in Klemmer's / UCSD's "Intro to Human-Computer Interaction Design" course on Coursera.org.

missing the shot

ihouse_missingshot

I was walking back from a late breakfast when I saw a father and son at the far end of the walkway practicing their penalty kicks between the trees. It’s the son’s turn to kick, and he steps backward like all the pros on TV.

Three seconds later the kid is on his ass and the ball hasn’t moved an inch. That’s what happens when you try to jump kick something that’s on the ground. Another ten seconds passed before he couldn’t hold the tears inside anymore.

Which hurts more? The pain of hitting your tailbone on the gravel, or the pain of feeling humiliated after missing a stationary ball? (and in front of your dad, too, when all you want is for him to feel proud of you)

~

I’m twenty now, but even I still feel like that kid. Miss the shot and disappoint yourself and your teammates, who wanted to see you succeed just as much as you did. Miss the metaphorical boat and imagine everyone going off in their separate, amazing directions — but without you.

What then?

Here’s something I tell myself: take the next shot. Take the next boat. It will not be the same as the one you missed, but if you keep your eyes open, you can still reach interesting places.

~

The father walked up and hugged his child. He didn’t say much else, and he didn’t need to.

I’ll see them doing the same next week anyway.

whatever works

The medical profession drains people’s emotions, so the med students and teachers (the more sociable ones at least) cope by developing a morbid sense of humor. One professor said he loves to make comparisons with medical conditions and food.

“Cheesy necrosis” made him giggle. When was the last time he was able to use that?

 

From a class field trip to the Medical Education-Telemedecine (MET) Building in UCSD. Lots of cool (a.k.a. expensive) medical equipment there.

cog sci alumni panel Q&A notes, design.ucsd

Two months ago, three fresh graduates from the cognitive science program came to speak to the design club at school. Along with conventional advice like “do more than just your classwork” and “make reading a regular habit”, here are three main points that still stick out to me.

Don’t follow the rules. (or: just ask)

Exceptions are made, and more often than you would expect. Success is not guaranteed, but you have nothing to lose from asking.

  • Coursework:  For UCSD’s cognitive science program, you must take a class in research methods before taking a class in distributed cognition. I wanted to take distributed cognition, but I haven’t taken the pre-requisite yet. I e-mailed the major counselor about it, and she let me in the same day (provided that I promise to take both classes eventually).
  • TA’ing opportunities: One of the alumni just missed the GPA requirement required to be a teaching assistant. He went up and asked the professor anyway, because he had a lot to give to the class. He got in.
  • Internship/work opportunities: Maybe the company will write that they are looking for someone who has 3+ years of design experience, but you have less than 1. Apply for the job anyway, and show what you can offer. You may not get the position you originally applied for, but perhaps there are other ways you can give to the project.

Disillusionment happens when someone follows all the rules (i.e. do your work, get good grades, do a couple of extra-curricular activities), but they still don’t get the results they want.

Be a better friend / work partner.

Many future opportunities will come through the students you meet and work with in college.

That’s not anything groundbreaking, but the alumni really hammered this in. That’s actually how some of the people got their jobs — one person was a hiring manager, the other was an applicant, and they both happened to work on the same project in the past, so one guy could vouch for the other.

GPA is irrelevant. Be a better friend instead.

Soft skills > hard skills

Technical skill is important, but soft skills like communication are even more so. As a designer, you’ll be integrating insights from other disciplines. How will you handle inevitable disagreements? Can you reach a compromise without compromising quality? And can you do this while being someone people can look forward to working with?

 

Special thanks to Kenna Hasson, Alan Tran, and Joshua Morris for the ideas.

a litmus test: “would anyone say the opposite?”

You’re at a job interview — no, you’re at a coffee date —  and you’re asking the other person to tell a little bit about themselves. What motivates them? What drives them? What are the things that keep them up at night, or dreaming during the day? They’ve got an answer, and you’re listening.

“I want to make the world a better place!”

Urrrghh — you cringe a bit.  They probably mean well, but their cheery do-gooder intentions have been lost upon you.

Why is that?

Because that statement doesn’t actually mean anything. You’ll never hear anyone say: “I want to make the world worse.” You won’t hear Miss America saying she wants more wars, more hunger, and more suffering for humanity.

~~~~~~

In a casual conversation you can follow-up with questions like how will you make the world a better place? — anything to invite the speaker to share or clarify what they think.

But you don’t have that opportunity to cover your tracks if you’re doing a presentation, holding a speech, or writing a letter.

A similar situation happens in the realm of dating. Many single men will say that they’re a “nice guy.” Okay, cool. That’s the bare minimum. What else can you offer? Nobody is going to say they’re an asshole straight off the bat. (And if they do, you can believe them).

~

In whatever you choose to say or write, ask yourself: “would anyone say the opposite?”. It’s an effective way to cut down on the fluff that comes out of your head.

Words are powerful. Make them count.

 

Idea from a portfolio review night with Don Norman.

the wrong way to introduce someone

I make it a point to remember people’s names. I don’t get it right all the time, but I do my best since I know how warm it feels when somebody I’ve only met briefly remembers my name. It’s a good feeling — being remembered and being acknowledged as an equal.

~

Someone in the International House at San Diego had their 21st birthday a couple of weeks ago. “Have you said ‘happy birthday’ to ______ yet?” asked people passing by. I never met the birthday girl, but I supposed this was the best time to say hello. It was the first week of school, and everybody was trying to meet each other anyway.

I made my way to the birthday girl and introduced myself. Hi, I’m your neighbor, and I heard it was your birthday! She furrowed her eyebrows and gave me a limp handshake. I wondered if I had said something wrong.

Less than thirty seconds later she introduces me to her sorority friends as “some random guy I don’t know.”

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–

Technically that’s true, but my blood started to boil over this title I was suddenly given. I’m her neighbor! I said to the other girls. They gave me these cheery sorority grins and said hi neighbor before heading off on their own way.

I walked out soon afterwards, rather bitter about the whole thing. This was such a small, insignificant interaction, and yet it provoked such a strong response.

Would the birthday girl have done the same if I were part of a fraternity and wearing my letters? Would she have done the same if I had stood a bit taller and kept my voice firmer? A far more ridiculous, sinister voice then popped into my head — would she have done the same if I were some dashing, buff blonde guy with bulging biceps?

Who knows. Many people I’ve met say she’s such a nice person, but wow, what a horrible first impression.

~

I made a promise to myself that I’d never do that to anyone I meet — that even if I don’t know the person that well, I would never introduce them as “some random guy/girl I don’t know”, no matter who they are.

Pretty sure that’s basic human decency.