Last summer I had the privilege of interning at YouTube in San Bruno as a user experience designer, it was a fantastic opportunity and I loved every moment. Internships are an extremely underrated experience for students in the UK and I urge undergraduates to begin seeking them out from year one of higher education as the value they add to a CV alongside the experience you gain is a completely different experience. Be ambitious and apply to any company you love. I would never have thought to apply to Google for an internship until they contacted me.
As I believe, for the most part, in what Google is doing I wanted to return, become a part of, and influence what they’re trying to accomplish. Therefore, in December last year, I proceeded with a series of interviews hoping to earn a place within a team there.
When August 2012 comes around I shall be working for Google Korea as a designer in Brand Studio. Definitely more than a stone’s throw from the UK where I currently reside, but I’m extremely excited to work with the team there and I aim to learn a great deal while designing for a completely different audience. The Far East technology sector has always intrigued me with regard to the use of daily consumer products and services. I’m also extremely interested in the differences between interaction design in the East and West including what makes products created there succeed where others from the West fail. I’m also a massive sucker for the information density seen on many of the products and services throughout Asia.
If all goes well I shall be flying out at the start of August to start hunting for accommodation and settling in, but until then I hope I can write a few more posts about design and other events.