Just before Harry White applied for Fall graduation, we asked him to tell us a bit about the work he was already doing. While completing the last course requirements, he was already working.
| "Get involved with your fellow Cognitive Scientists! I can’t stress this enough. It enriches your university experience, teaches you valuable skills to put on your resume, helps you meet like-minded people, and is overall really fun." |  |
Q. To start with, where are you working now?
A. I work for Odyssey Learning Systems, a Vancouver-based eLearning company in business since 1998.
Q. What is your job?
A. My job title is Inside Sales & Marketing.
Q. How did you get this job?
A. I got this job by networking. I met the owner of the company at my wife’s church downtown. We started chatting and I told her my goals to get into sales at a technology related company. Her elearning company, Odyssey Learning, happened to need someone at the time for a part-time Inside Sales position. I interviewed with her and the team and really impressed them, and got the job.
I like working for Odyssey because eLearning relates to education and technology, two of my passions. Plus I can work from home while continuing my BA in Cognitive Science. Our team is spread out across Canada: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, etc, so we communicate via phone, email, and a virtual meeting room.
Q. What are some of the kinds of projects and tasks that make up your working day?
A. I am responsible for Generating Leads, Qualifying Leads, Generating Invoices, Assisting the Sales Team, Customer Care, Email Marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, and Tradeshows. I love the diversity of tasks, learning new skills, and talking with people.
Q. How is what you are doing on the job enhanced or enabled by what you learned/are learning as a cogntive science student?
A. I was the student responsible for interviewing many of the other SFU Cognitive Science graduates on the site. A common message I heard was “every day there was something different I had learned in Cognitive Science (at SFU) which helped me do my job better.” I completely agree with this statement. The inter-disciplinary nature of the degree means that graduates are better prepared for the diverse projects employers will need them to work on. Specifically, deductive logic, cognitive psychology, morphology and syntax all helped me articulate my value to prospective employers and clients. Cognitive Science is applicable to education, technology, user experience, social networking, academic research, and much more. You can use it for anything you want.
Q. After you graduate, would you like to continue in this field and in this kind of work? In what ways do you find you and your background are well suited to this position?
A. E-learning, or online education, is an exciting industry that has measurable positive effects on people’s lives. For example, at Odyssey we work at lot with Moodle, an open source Learning Management System which has opened up the whole market. Previously, offering learning content online was an expensive project for a school or company to undertake; Moodle is free, so it has given millions of students access to take courses and enrich their learning at low cost. Odyssey Learning works with BC Elementary and High Schools to provide them with the platform, content, and support they need to deliver courses online.
I like that what I do everyday helps me develop my career and also contribute back to society in a beneficial way. The elearning field fits very well with my passion and skills because I have experience teaching in Africa, and several years project management experience in the software industry.
I will definitely continue in this field in a sales and marketing related capacity, and hopefully run my own internet business one day.
Q. What was your background before you became an undergraduate in Cognitive Science?
A. I already had over five years experience as a software developer and freelancer. I had a 2-year computer science diploma from college, but I wanted my BA to open doors and grow in my field.
Q. Are there any recommendations you would make to incoming students wanting to get the most out of their experience with the program and at SFU?
A. Get involved with your fellow Cognitive Scientists! I can’t stress this enough. It enriches your university experience, teaches you valuable skills to put on your resume, helps you meet like-minded people, and is overall really fun.
I volunteer at the Cognitive Science Lab, am a member of the Cognitive Science Students Society, and a member of the editorial team for the Canadian Undergraduate journal of Cognitive Science. This year we published our first print version of the journal and mailed it to Undergraduate Cognitive Science departments at universities around the world.
Q. I see from our Inside Report that you went to NOWCAM this year. How did that come about?
A. That is through being a volunteer at the lab. This year six of us got to go to Victoria for 3 days and stay in UVic’s student residences while we attended NOWCAM 2009. Many times when you are part of university research you will have the opportunity to travel to conferences to present research findings, attend workshops, and network with professors and fellow students. See, I told you there were benefits to getting involved!
Harry, Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
The heart of the Cognitive Science Program lies in its ability to facilitate creative cross-discipline thinking. Cognitive Science at SFU is proud to be the home of many thoughtful students who have found imaginative approaches to connect their broad interests in ways that allow them to get the engaging education they want. Learn more about other Cognitive Science Program alumni.