I used to think I wanted to become a professional artist and draw pretty pictures for a living, and maybe even get a chance to work at one of those game companies whose works I'd always admired. As life would have it, that was not how things turned out, but sometimes it's the journey that lets you learn and understand what it is you need to do, and if it's not necessarily what you originally thought, then hey, at least I learned what I did not want to do.After returning to graduate school and getting a master's in informatics at UC Berkeley, I'm currently enjoying my work as a researcher, particularly in the UX area. I've heard some people say that what I do is really called 'data science', but as the field is so new and still constantly evolving, I'm reluctant to keep myself tied down by just one single title or speciality. What I can tell you is that I do enjoy doing research, even the tricky logistics that any research study goes through--recruitment, interview, notes, transcription (so much transcription), and that's not counting the analysis of the data. But it's interesting and challenging, and particularly in the area of data privacy and security, there has never been a greater need for more work in this area in the Age of the Internet. I'm still learning what it is I exactly I want to specialize in, in this broad field--or maybe I won't specialize that much, and instead I'll acquire a broad set of skills that will serve me well in many situations, with many different clients--whether it's the public sector, business, or government. One thing I do know, though, is that I take my work seriously and I'm constantly striving to learn, to improve myself in whatever the task I must accomplish.