Day In The Life with Mallory Kraus
I didn’t know what I wanted to do, all I knew was that I loved learning and being in college gave me a lot of satisfaction.
I first met Mallory as my roommate when I was a resident advisor 5 years ago. We quickly bonded and she’s been one of my go to people for advice for just about anything. Mallory is truly akin to her favorite superhero Wonder Woman; she’s curious, honest and determined. I was lucky enough to have her answer a few questions about her journey so far and advice she has for others who are in a similar boat. Learn more about Mallory through her site!
- What made you choose the major you studied in college?
- I know you transferred from community college to UCSD, did that influence your decisions to study the major you did?
To answer both questions… I had a hard time choosing a major in college because I genuinely enjoyed classes across many disciplines at community college. I enjoyed my world lit and art history classes just as much as my bio and stats courses. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, all I knew was that I loved learning and being in college gave me a lot of satisfaction. At community college, I took a communications research class and my final paper, researching the media behavior habits of seniors (adults >=60 years) my instructor pulled me aside and made sure I was moving on to university. I chose to transfer as a Communication major to UCSD because the major seemed to fit but I hoped I would get to explore more scientific areas of study at UCSD. When I took my first Cognitive Science class, I fell in love because Cogs 1 and it’s kind of a sampler of all of the courses and disciplines you can study within the umbrella of Cog Sci. Within this department, I took every course I could: neuroscience, machine learning, animal cognition, design, etc. And I loved every single course.
3. Do you think if you went straight to a university you would have chosen the same path?
Definitely not. Cognitive Science at UCSD is a very unique program and I am not confident I would have gotten into UCSD out of high school.
Through this program and the courses, I felt like I found my true passion. I would not go back and study anything else.
4. How do you feel that your major impacted some of your decisions you’ve made? Would you go back and study something else if given the chance?
My major is what lead me to design. I did not even know about the world of design, outside of getting a graphic design degree. In the Cog Sci program, you can pick a specialization, and through my course work, I decided to pursue Human-Computer Interaction which is essentially their UX Design/Research program. Through this program and the courses, I felt like I found my true passion. I would not go back and study anything else.
5. What are your favorite things about what you studied?
As someone who genuinely loves learning and gains a lot of satisfaction from knowledge, this is very difficult to answer. I think I most enjoyed my perception and sensation classes, which was about how our brains perceive and interpret everything we experience. These classes always lead to a lot of really interesting discussions with other cog sci students. In my HCI classes, I loved working in groups. I can be fairly shy, but working in a group toward a goal with other people who are passionate like I am, those classes were the most fun. They were so fun, I would forget to be shy.
6. What are your least favorite things about what you studied?
Probably the math. It had been some time since I had done any math and I had to teach myself to love it and engage with it in a new way before I was able to succeed.
Networking is so important. Start volunteering and don’t be afraid to move on when you feel you’ve learned all that you can.
7. What advice would you give others?
Networking is so important. Start volunteering and don’t be afraid to move on when you feel you’ve learned all that you can. 2. Utilize your school resources! Don’t be afraid to ask for help! 3. Studying and working hard is important but so is your mental health. You’re more likely to retain information and do well if you are happy and engaged. Take care of your brain.
8. Any thoughts about how the field is changing?
In user experience, research skills are important. Flashy interfaces are cool but if you don’t have a reason behind it and ultimately it’s not functional, you’re not going to be taken seriously. I also had an industry professional tell me recently that pictures of you working (wireframing, interviewing, etc) are essential on your portfolio. It helps the employer visualize you in that position.
9. What resources would you share with others looking to do the same?
Medium is a really good resource for design articles. Behance is great for getting inspired. And Usability.gov is an excellent resource for creating deliverables. But Don Norman’s books “Design of Everyday Things” and “Emotional Design” are excellent books. I was told by an instructor to not even bother applying for jobs until I read them.
Christine Pham is a Software Engineer specializing in Frontend Development at VMware Inc. She studied Computer Science at the University of California, San Diego. Christine is passionate about STEM education having taught through Citizens School and Moreland Education Foundation as well as created the Adopt-an-Engineer Pilot at Cisco Systems. She is now trying to expand that outreach through Paper Oranges.
LinkedIn: christinetpham Instagram: xtineyweenie
