Sure, it might seem very clear cut that a girl who blogs about graphics and game design would go for the game company, but it really was a tough call. Microsoft gave an incredibly generous job offer and the prospect of a management and feature design role as a program manager. Not to mention, the team that extended the offer was Pix Experience – a team that works with human-computer interaction, digital photography, takes random photography breaks on sunny days, and has DDR in one of their “meeting rooms.” If there was a perfect team at Microsoft that was not games-related, that was it.

So despite all this, why did I choose EA? First of all Dilbert makes fun of the position that I would’ve taken at Microsoft. Not that I actually took that into consideration. I just found it amusing while I was contemplating. A significant (and real) factor in my decision deals with my overwhelming preference for a place that carries a bit of familiarity. I’m not worried about making new friends, but I’ve been restarting in new places half my life. For once, I’d like to be in place that didn’t feel temporary. Plus, I think that people who don’t factor friends, family, and people in general into their career decisions are really missing a part of the big picture. It’s not just about networking. People inspire ideas, they get you involved in projects, and can add greatly to overall happiness. And at the risk of sounding like a fortune cookie, happiness is key to success. Also, there’s the fact that I spent three years targeting myself for a job on a production team in the entertainment industry. If there was anything I learned from Cornell, it is that success comes as a result of using your skills to its full potential, which EA wins out on. Then there’s that game industry factor. Even if I went to Microsoft, I’d want to go back into games, and, in the game industry, nothing can really stand in for industry experience.

I am hoping, like many others, to someday be a game designer. I will be getting my start at EA as a technical artist in EA Redwood Shores…hopefully on the Sims 3.