How Google & Facebook Shaped My Love for UX

Sometimes you can't find what you're looking for until you explore well beyond the limits of your mind. I know what I want when it comes to job responsibilities. I'm looking for a job where I can solve problems, ask questions, work with people and trends, study patterns, create products around trends, lead my own projects, design and create trends, and study theory-of-mind (my favorite cognitive study). Ideally, I'd also love to travel.

So, of course, consulting was the first job to cross my mind. My parents met while consultants for Accenture, and it's easy to "go with what you know". Plus, the job seems to address nearly all of the components I'm seeking. However, while actively job searching for consulting positions, I also decided to search within tech because I have such a love for both Google and Facebook and how could I not look at them when I now live so close by!

My love for Google started in 1999. As an mesmerized 8-year-old, I saved the .jpg file every time they changed the logo, which then used to only be on major holidays starting at my favorite (Halloween). I would go through the 5 minute process of turning on our family then-speedy Macintosh computer, just so I wouldn't miss the logo! Over the last couple years, I've found a way to integrate Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar into all of my jobs, and get others in both labs to join me in using Google as our primary online communication. My best friend and I even used Google Drive to create our Europe trip itinerary! My favorite project I worked on at my most recent lab was a Google-funded grant which involved a wireless EEG and Android phone, where my responsibility was the sole data collector. I worked full-time plus weekends to collect data, and I enjoyed every minute of that project. When I received my marketing job, I learned Google Adwords and became certified in the amazing, leading advertising platform. One of my favorite duties of the job was monitoring negative keywords for various clients because I thought it was fascinating to see what specifically people are searching when they use Google. You see, as I grew up with Google, I developed a special connection to tech and a desire to study and contribute to the endless possibilities that tech could provide.

My love for Facebook began in 2006, as I have been a proud, daily user of the website since then. I've had mentioned to me (from older generations) that Facebook is purely a social website with no educational value and that I shouldn't be "wasting so much time" on the website. Well, I say to that: "Just wait." Look at the success of Facebook! It's a site where I could see it's untapped potential as a 14-year-old. Yes, it's a social site, and I'll argue, the best social site. But what makes Facebook so much more intriguing to me is it has helped me study society more than any other platform. Where else can you travel the world, typecast interests, classify topics by demographics, interpret and create personalities, explore new interests, develop networks, support groups and relationships, and find or promote new products in a couple clicks and a sentence or two? And that's for the basic, free user! You don't even need to work at Facebook or pay for ads in order to benefit from those observations. I've promoted my scholarships, posted recipes, shared life events, sent e-cards, learned about science (Yes, older generation, it can be educational!), supported charities, and laughed with friends for countless memories through Facebook. I think it's funny to observe how my parents use Facebook (sparingly, and typically just to stay in touch with family), how my now 14 year old sister doesn't use Facebook (but she is  huge part of the "Instagram generation"), and how my friends and I use it regularly. There is definitely a generation difference, but I am thrilled to be a part of the generation that some would say has a "dependence" on Facebook. We may not have hard-copies of all our photographs and videos in hoarded albums and outdated VHS tapes around our house, and as the data world evolves, we may end up losing all our photos, but you know what - that's okay. That's how our generational evolution works! Roll with the punches, and the technology! In a way, Facebook has helped me keep my materialistic life cleaner and helped me with concepts such as acceptance, change, and flexibility. 

So, where am I going with this? -- Here: These two tech companies have been a part of my growth: emotionally, academically, socially, mentally, and maybe even a bit spiritually. I didn't realize until job searching this last week, that being a part of either of these companies, or even a similar one with the same ideals, would truly be a great fit for me. Furthermore, as I learned about their User Experience departments, I found that "Ah hah!" moment -- the same moment I got when I changed my major from Pharmacological Chemistry to Cognitive Science; the moment where I found the best place to utilize my skills and develop my passions. It's the job that I didn't even know to look for until now. It incorporates all the components I'm searching for, and it blends together my personal history with tech into my future ideas for tech. 

At the end of the day, I just want to make these beloved platforms more enjoyable for everyone else. If everyone becomes further interconnected through sites that grow friendships and knowledge, that becomes the ultimate social network.