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April 6, 2007 Vol. 77, no.
11S
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| PHOTO COUTESY OF
STEWART BONN |
Career Corner with EECS alum Stewart Bonn
Career Corner features interviews with alumni about their career choices
and asks them for career advice.
After graduating from Cal, Stewart Bonn (B.S.’72 EECS) worked
as a salesman at IBM for seven years before becoming the 19th employee
at game company Electronic Arts, working his way up to senior vice
president. After that, he co-founded several offline and online companies.
Bix.com, his latest company, founded in January 2006, was recently
sold to Yahoo! Today, Bonn is advising and investing in early-stage
companies.
What do you like about your job?
I love going to work each day and learning about or seeing some new
idea or person. Every day is a surprise, and it never gets dull.
How did you go about finding your interest/passion?
I was required to take a programming class as a freshman. I immediately
saw the computer as a source of entertainment, not a productivity tool
as others saw it. It took almost a decade before I found the like-minded
founders of Electronic Arts. Up until then, game programming was a
hobby that I pursued at night while at IBM.
What’s the secret to landing a job?
Persistence and passion. I first met Trip Hawkins, the founder of Electronic
Arts, in August of 1982. In the ensuing six months, he must have told
me a dozen times that they did not have a place for me. But I kept
calling him, presenting new ideas and letting him know that I was committed
to making his dream into a reality. Finally, in February of 1983, I
offered to work for free for 30 days, provided that, if I accomplished
what I said I would, he would offer me a permanent job.
What are some things to think about while considering a potential job?
First and foremost, it’s the people. Are they experienced, successful
and smart? Past success is the most reliable predictor of future success.
Do they have a passion that comes from their heart, or are they doing
it just because they want to make money? Are they honest and do
they have integrity? Where are they getting their financing? Are smart
people investing in them?
Have additional questions? E-mail sjb@bonn-bonn.com.
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