Chad Alderson
Founder and CTO
SPARK6
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Got my first job as a web technologies engineer.
Then I realized that user experience was important.
Then I focused on learning about usability and interaction design.
Then I realized a great product experience isn't just design.
Then I decided to become a product manager.
Then I was hired by eBay as a product manager and interaction designer.
Then I left eBay and worked at several small companies, then went back to eBay for a tick.
Then I decided to start my own thing and convinced eBay to be my first client.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Founder and CTO
I own a creative agency.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Technology
Building Things
Day to Day
Every day is different. Since I own a creative agency we are in the business of building software product solutions for clients. Because of this, I am exposed to new business models, people and ideas nearly every day. There is never a typical day, and that is one of the main reasons I love doing what I do so much - I get bored easily! That said, I do go to the gym and walk my dog pretty regularly.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Just dive in and do it. The technology / design / creative industry is a very "hands on" gig - you have to roll up your sleeves and learn a skill. That can be coding in JavaScript / PHP, learning how to deploy a website on Amazon Web Services, or cracking a book / dvd / class on how to use Photoshop. Just plan on sitting down and DOING IT. Also, read the work others who you aspire to one day personify are up to - this can be blogs, books, etc.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Certification/License
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"You are lazy. (step dad) You won't amount to anything if you don't go to school. (biological dad) You complain all the time. (step dad) You read too much. (step dad)"
Challenges I Overcame
Biological dad wasn't around much growing up
Drugs / Addiction
