My Education

This section feels so much less relevant now that I’ve been working in the industry for 10 years, and in a lot of ways, that’s a relief. When you are presenting yourself based on the bona fides of an education, you are presenting your potential. You have the promise of your education, but you and everyone else know that education and experience are only siblings, not the same. It’s a recipe for imposter syndrome, and nerve wracking for young adults.

Nevertheless, as my educational bona fides are at least a little unusual, and as breadcrumbs for anyone who might wonder how to get from point A to B, I’ll leave this page up. I may modify it to include more of my journey, since the uncertainties and anticipation did not end at graduation. Little did I know they rarely do.

Both Brains

In university, people always ask, "what's your major?" when they're trying to figure you out. At first I hated telling people. I was a double major, and still stranger, I was studying Drama and Computer Science.

The look on their faces -- the double take and the confusion -- could range from depressing to comical. Every once in a while though, I'd meet someone who got it. Usually, they'd say something along the lines of  "You mean you can use both sides of your brain? Cool!"

Left-and-right brained labels are much less common in adult life than they are in school, and they seem to be falling even further out of vogue, as neuroscience gains ground and sophistication, but the point stands. Yes, I'm creative and analytical. Yes, I understand compelling visual media and calculus. Yes! I do know how to make computers do my bidding. And while my drawing talents leave plenty to be desired, there are so many ways to make art that I am, indeed, an artist.

For my last year of UW, I was in a year-long capstone class for animation, and by then nobody was surprised or confused anymore. The team was multi-disciplinary, and equally balanced between Art, Design, Math, Computer Science, Digital Arts, and Engineering students. We worked for 9 months on an original story and built a short from scratch - it's below. 

Threads

Drama

Drama was my creative/crazy outlet. It's where I didn't have to be quiet or try to sound smart, because no one was valuing those qualities. I got to read plays and go to beginning acting classes and learn how to learn by playing. I got to read schematics, build things with my hands and climb ladders to focus lights. I loved and was challenged by the scene, audio, and lighting design classes, but my favorite was an "Intro to Directing" class that pulled all of them together. 

I was also insanely fortunate to go to Edinburgh (Scotland!) for the International Fringe Festival and study all kinds of theatrical expressions of creativity with Professor Andrew Tsao. We also talked extensively about the nature of creative processes

It wasn't academically challenging, as most drama majors spend as much time as possible on theatre productions, but it was a lot closer to a classical liberal arts education. I found it refreshing that the program involved much reading, writing, learning about life and people, and critically examining academic suppositions.

Computer Science

I knew all along that I wasn't the hardcore nerdy type of Computer Scientist. I was in it for the puzzles and because it stretched a different part of me than Drama.

My favorite class was Data Structures, because I liked thinking about elegant organization. I also enjoyed Graphics and Computer Vision classes - they were where I first saw practical and large scale applications of the foundational knowledge taught in Computer Science. 

I flat-out LOVED being an Intro Programming Teaching Assistant (TA). Not only was teaching study sections and staffing the Intro Programming Lab interesting and rewarding, But I also found that arguing through "style points" on assignments and grading midterms and finals as part of a group of TAs solidified my ability to rigorously evaluate my own solutions and style.

*the UW CSE program has since moved out of the School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences to its own school, the Paul G Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering.