A generation ago it was not unusual to spend your entire career, 30 plus years, at a single company. Maybe it’s Silicon Valley, or the gaming industry, or generation X & Y, but six years has become a long time to spend at a single job. It’s strange to think I’ve been an employee at Electronic Arts for a longer period of time than I was in high school. But all good things must come to an end and today is my last day down in Redwood Shores. As for me, I’ve decided there are some new challenges and growth opportunities for me outside my cube. I’ll be doing a number of freelance design projects, but for most of the next year I will be traveling in order to spend more time in the ocean and on the mountains.
Looking back six years ago I don’t think I could have chosen another company where I would have learned as much - with the obvious exception of Google, I mean with all those stock options I could have paid Stephen Hawking to be my tutor! Very few companies combine technology and art like EA and I feel privileged to have participated in a number of great projects that helped me become a better designer. In thinking over my time at EA there are a few esoteric numbers that come to mind:
