Vicki's Open Road

  • INTERVIEWED BY:

    STEM Roadtrip

VICKI SMITH

Level Designer
Vicarious Visions

“It's not just playing the game, it's learning that your limits aren't what you think they are.”

INTERESTS:

Design Science

THEMES DISCUSSED:

Exploration Pressure Culture Individualism Fulfillment Hard Work Opportunity Experience Failure Education

FOUNDATION:

Being Creative

BIOGRAPHY:

  • She was always a gamer; originally, she wanted to design comic books.
  • As encouraging as her parents were, they put their foot down and said they would not pay for her to get a humanities degree.
  • Instead, she got her degree in mechanical engineering, and she took a job in the field after college.
  • Although she realized she was going down a great career path, she was incredibly bored, and it wasn't feeding her creative side.
  • She quit and went back to school; got her master's degree in interactive technology.
  • In hindsight, her engineering degree gave her a leg up over designers who didn't know how to code.
  • Says that in American culture, there's an idea that you should hone in on your dream and pour your soul into that one thing.
  • Instead, she advocates for a more broad field of studies and interests; says reading Shakespeare might influence your scientific breakthrough.

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