Design Your Future

Design Your Future is a new games career exploration event series, brought to you by the Arts Division (AGPM) and Career Success! These events will inspire banana slugs on what they can do with their degree and find their path in the games industry! This academic year the Arts Division (AGPM) and Career Success are planning one event per quarter, please find the details below:


Past Events


Beyond Games: Design Degrees in the World (Spring '21)

Thursday April 15 2021, 4-6pm

Not sure if you want to work in the game design industry, or curious about how your skills might transfer to other fields and jobs? Hear from alumni working in ITS, healthcare, graphic design, teaching, and data visualization about how their design degrees have helped them (or not!) in their careers.

  • Matthew Balousek - Game Design Lecturer @ UCSC and Hostos College
  • Reshma Zachariah - Motion Graphics Designer @ xxartists
  • Reno Rivera - Technical Solutions Engineer @ Epic Electronic Healthcare Records
  • Jarrett van den Bergh - Visualization Software Engineer @ NASA

Navigating a Career in Games: Academia and Industry (Spring '21)

Friday April 2 2021, 10-11:30pm

Register here

Join Arts Professional Pathways for a panel discussion featuring UC Santa Cruz alumnus Tracy Fullerton ('87, Porter), creator of Walden and University of Southern California (USC) professor in the Interactive Media & Games Division of USC's School of Cinematic Arts and director of USC's Game Innovation Lab; Amir Rao, founder of Supergiant Games and creator of Hades; and Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games and distinguished professor of the practice of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University.

Panel will be moderated by Professor Robin Hunicke, director of UCSC's Art + Design: Games & Playable Media program, CEO of Funomena, and creator of Luna.

Graduate School Track (Winter '21)

Friday March 5 2021, 11am-12:30pm

Are you considering getting a graduate degree in Game Design? Our panel of UCSC alumni and faculty discuss their own experiences attending grad school and mentoring graduate students. We’ll discuss the big questions about career paths and also practical items like researching different programs and how to get letters of recommendation. Includes breakout sessions in small groups to speak directly with panelists.

  • Elizabeth Swensen - AGPM Assistant Professor; MFA in Interactive Media from the University of Southern California (USC)
  • Michael John - CMPM Associated Teaching Professor, Vice Chair, Games & Playable Media MS, UCSC
  • Hesiquio Mendez Alejo - Developer, Tender Claws; AGPM 2018, MFA in Interactive Media USC 2021
  • Chelsea Manzano - Production Coordinator, Sony Santa Monica; Alumni of MS in Games & Playable Media at UCSC

Portfolio Workshop (Winter '21)

Times and Dates Below

Have you ever felt unsure about how to tell your story and position your work for job applications or exhibition opportunities? Ready to build your first online art portfolio but feeling stuck? You aren't alone! Instructor Kristen Gillette will lead this multi-part workshop that teaches strategies for developing a portfolio narrative. The focus is on beginner-friendly platforms and templates for building your first site with no web design or programming needed. All in a supportive atmosphere with your peers! Presented by the Arts Professional Pathways and Design Your Future Arts Division career development series.

Free and open to all undergraduate and graduate students in the Arts Division.

 

Friday January 22 2021, 12-2pm: Crafting a Portfolio Story

Register here 

Explores different strategies for presenting work and developing a central portfolio narrative.

 

Friday January 29 2021, 12-2pm: Designing and Building a Portfolio Site

Looks at available platform options and media technologies that can be used to present work, with hands-on instruction for designing and starting basic site-architecture.

Register here

 

Friday February 5 2021, 12-2pm: Mid-Process Portfolio Review

Optional review and feedback for sites in-progress.

Register here

Job Searching with Tad Leckman & Christina Hall (Fall '20)

Wednesday October 14 2020, 4-6pm

Want to know how to search for a job or internship, we are here to help! On October 14, hear from Tad Leckman, faculty and subject specialist, on the state of remote work, roles, culture and vocabulary of the industry, and where to start your search process! Followed by an activity led by Christina Hall, Career Coach, who will guide you through a search scavenger hunt in a comfortable environment with your peers.

Art Track (Spring '20)

Thursday June 4 2020, 5-7pm

As a part of the “Top-ranked game programs in the University of California,” join us in our second games career exploration event. The primary goal of this series is to inspire all students on what you can do with your degree. There are many roles in the industry, and this event will help you find your path!

We’re bringing games alumni to you virtually to share their career stories! Alumni will give brief talks with a focus on personal stories and how to develop mentorship opportunities, both formal and informal. If you’ve ever felt unsure about how your school projects will serve as the framework for a career in design, you’re not alone! Our diverse set of panelists have been through this same journey and are here to answer your burning questions. Make your first professional connections in a supportive environment and get more details about the skills and roles needed at games and tech companies today.

Production Track (Spring '20)

Thursday May 28 2020, 5-7pm

As a part of the “Top-ranked game programs in the University of California,” join us in our first ever games career exploration event. The primary goal of this series is to inspire all students on what you can do with your degree. There are many roles in the industry, and this event will help you find your path!

We’re bringing games alumni to you virtually to share their career stories! Alumni will give brief talks with a focus on personal stories and how to develop mentorship opportunities, both formal and informal. If you’ve ever felt unsure about how your school projects will serve as the framework for a career in design, you’re not alone! Our diverse set of panelists have been through this same journey and are here to answer your burning questions. Make your first professional connections in a supportive environment and get more details about the skills and roles needed at games and tech companies today.