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5 years ago, I burned out. Hard. In the weeks after, I picked up my dusty PS4 and played TLOU Remastered and was blown away by the craftsmanship and care. I saw the parallels between what I was doing then (interactive theater) and games, and gears started turning. 1/12 https://twitter.com/sweetbabymeens/status/1278145405436465154
I couldn't get it out of my head. This was a medium that was reaching a larger audience with the kind of resonance that we were trying to achieve every night with a handful of people, with only those who had access to us. I looked up the team, and landed on @Neil_Druckmann. 2/12
He had directed the actors, which was my inciting interest. But he had also been a programmer before writing for the game. It was like a puzzle: how could I get from here to there? I could focus on writing, or VO. All intriguing, but too much of a gamble. Programming... Hmm. 3/12
Writing, VO, they were too similar to what I was doing. I needed a break, and I needed something different. If I could learn into what went into the software side of making games... I did tons of research. Web dev was the best entryway into programming, and bootcamps. 4/12
You COULD learn it yourself with time, but for me, still - too uncertain. I had limited funds and was looking for a calculated risk, a focused gamble. I found @HackReactor. 3 months, intensive, style of pedagogy I liked. And, even better - I had to prove myself to get in. 5/12
I failed the first interview. Going from theater, it felt like I was crossing a bridge blindfolded. I was flailing. I failed - and it immediately clarified things: What they were evaluating, how I needed to grow, and that their standard was high. I got in the second time. 6/12
I dumped ALL my savings into it and moved to SF. This had better pan out. Those months were not easy. I questioned myself, my ability, and my goals. I made friends. I gravitated to web/UX design and interaction design. I learned how to learn quickly. In the end... 7/12
I made it through. Things after that were a whirlwind. I did a teaching fellowship at HR, did some VR dev and while job hunting, sent my resume on to Naughty Dog. No response. I was fortunate enough to land a job at @Google with an amazing team. I watched the first trailer. 8/12
While working with Daydream, I was daydreaming about game design. Eventually, I decided to relocate to Manhattan. I interviewed internally, but on a whim sent my resume to ND again and restructured my application. The WEEK I was going to accept an offer, I got a call. 9/12
-- so nervous that I didn't want to answer but in a Reverse Butt Dial of Fate, accidentally picked up. I interviewed with @kurtmargenau, visited the team, and bawled when I accepted the offer in front of my new colleagues (!!). Fin. However, this is just my story. Yours... 10/12
Your story will be different. Embrace it. Identify your skillset. How is it applicable? How can it develop? From there, carve out stepping stones to your north star. I had skills from hobbyist graphic + UX design and theater. I needed to get their attention somehow. You... 11/12
You, like everyone else, are in progress. Strive to learn, not to "know". Interrogate your desires and fears. Find satisfaction in where you are but keep dreaming. Luck opens the door, skills get you in the chair, and how you work with others keeps you there. Good luck! 12/12
Don't know where to put this last tweet but I could not have done anything without - and continue to be grateful for - the people who generously mentor me, guide me, and give me space to learn and grow when I'm wrong, proud, or ignorant. You people make the world go round 
