Maria Burns Ortiz
CEO / Co-Founder
7 Generation Games
Santa Monica, CA USA
“You can’t just kind of dip your toe into things. It’s only when you go all in that things start to work.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationMaria Burns Ortiz
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Says her path into technology wasn’t traditional, but the longer you work in tech, the more you start to realize that very few people actually have a “traditional” path into tech.
In college at NYU, she was a journalism major; after graduating, she wrote for ESPN.com.
She loved her job, but at age 23, she realized that writing articles about “the Clippers doing yoga” wasn’t making a difference in the world, and it was no longer fulfilling to her.
She wanted to help her mother start a gaming company, but she was hesitant because she’d just had a child, didn’t know if it was the right time.
Her mom told her, “That perfect time will never come,” so she decided to just jump in and commit.
Together, they started 7 Generation Games, an educational gaming company.
Left journalism after working in that field for a decade, but assures road-trippers that it was the right choice; says they shouldn’t feel obligated to continue down a path they don’t like.
Says that as a Hispanic woman, she’s faced difficulty in the tech and media worlds, but she uses any discouragement or doubts about her credentials as fuel to motivate her forward.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
CEO / Co-Founder
I run a company that develops video games that teach math.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Journalism
Technology
Communicating / Sharing Stories
Day to Day
I do everything from leading game design to creating in-game elements to managing staff to marketing to business development.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
It's not always about what you already know, it's about what you are willing to learn. Don't focus so much on the areas that you lack, instead go out there and figure out how to fill those knowledge gaps.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I don't know if it's the right time to switch jobs? "
Challenges I Overcame
Discrimination
Interviewed By
Code Trip
Increasing representation in the world of coding
