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December 1, 2006 Vol. 77, no.
15F
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| PHOTO
COURTESY OF CRAIG WOOD |
Career Corner with EECS alum Craig Wood
Career Corner features interviews with alumni about their career
choices and their career advice.
Craig Wood (B.S.’01 EECS) is vice president of PIX System, a
San Francisco–based startup creating collaboration software used
in the film industry, including movies such as The Lord of the Rings
and Jarhead. Before that, he was a lead engineer at Sparkart, a local
technology company focused on the music industry, and a software engineer
at Zengine, a dot.com startup.
What do you like about your job?
I enjoy the challenges we face and being able to roll up my sleeves
and solve problems with my team. I enjoy working with the latest technologies
and improving our product. Best of all is directly making an impact.
We improve our clients’ lives by making their jobs easier every
day. I am happy that they’re happy. I’m lucky that I enjoy
my work.
How did you go about finding your interest/passion?
I have always enjoyed being creative with technology. This ranged from
simple point-and-click games (think Myst) to writing simple programs
for various school projects. I also enjoyed technology in other contexts,
like making home movies. After my first programming class in high school,
I pretty much knew I’d be a software engineer.
What do you recommend students do during school to prepare for a career?
Find out what you like and what you love. Seek out new experiences.
The knowledge you gain will be used in unexpected circumstances. The
real world is different than academia, so it’s important to learn
about your field. What is a future job really like? Lastly, communication
skills are vital. To some, getting out there and talking with people
may be more valuable than technical work.
What’s the secret to landing a job?
Be passionate about what you do. Be confident and not afraid to push
yourself; if you know your fundamentals, you can adapt anywhere. Be
honest about what you know and don’t know (most interviewers
have excellent BS detectors). Relax and be yourself!
Have additional questions? Email cwood@alum.berkeley.edu.
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