My Journey: Exploring the World of Virtual Reality

Summary

In this engaging class chat, host Cat Lea Ramos interviews Tanya Parker, a Senior Technical Program Manager at Metaquest, who shares her experiences in building virtual reality (VR) experiences. Tanya discusses the immersive nature of VR, her role in creating 3D environments, and the innovative projects she's involved in, such as integrating notifications into VR headsets. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration and diverse perspectives in problem-solving within a team. Tanya also shares her personal journey from considering various careers to finding her passion in computer science, offering advice to students to stay open-minded, embrace mistakes, and persist in learning. The chat concludes with a reminder of upcoming class chats and the importance of teacher feedback for improvement.

Takeaways

• 👩‍💻 Cat Lecia Ramos, a software engineer at code.org, hosted the chat and emphasized the importance of coding in her daily work.
• 🎓 Tanya Parker, a Senior Technical Program Manager at Oculus (now Metaquest), helps build virtual reality experiences and shared insights into her role.
• 🔍 Live captioning has been enabled for class chats, making them more accessible for teachers and students.
• 🧊 Cat introduced an icebreaker activity where she shared her heated dumpling slippers, encouraging others to share personal items.
• 🤖 Tanya showed her stuffed animals from the Studio Ghibli film 'Totoro', expressing her love for the animation studio's work.
• 🕶 Tanya's work involves a mix of software engineering, product design, and product management to create immersive 3D virtual reality experiences.
• 🎮 Virtual reality is described as a 3D, fully immersive environment that can simulate anything from playing games to traveling the world.
• 🛠️ Tanya's team is working on innovative solutions like removing VR controllers to allow users to interact with the environment using just their hands.
• 💡 Collaboration is key in Tanya's work, with diverse perspectives and ideas coming together to solve complex problems in virtual reality development.
• 🌐 Tanya believes that virtual reality is the next wave of internet, predicting that it will become an integral part of people's lives in the future.
• 💡 Tanya advises students to stay open to trying new things like computer science, to be persistent, and to enjoy the process of learning and problem-solving.

Q & A

What is Cat Lecia Ramos' profession?

Cat Lecia Ramos is a software engineer at code.org.

What is the purpose of today's class chat with Tanya Parker?

The purpose of the class chat is to discuss Tanya Parker's experiences and insights as a senior technical program manager at Oculus, now known as Metaquest, where she helps build virtual reality experiences.

What is Tanya Parker's role at Metaquest?

Tanya Parker is a senior technical program manager at Metaquest, where she works on creating virtual reality experiences by collaborating with various roles and disciplines.

What does Tanya Parker like about her job?

Tanya Parker enjoys the ability to create experiences that millions of people can use and enjoy, as well as the work-life balance it provides, allowing her to pursue outdoor activities and travel.

What is the significance of the Oculus Quest 2 in Tanya Parker's work?

The Oculus Quest 2 is a popular device that Tanya Parker works with and plays on almost every day as part of her job, creating immersive virtual reality experiences.

What is an example of a virtual reality game mentioned in the chat?

An example of a virtual reality game mentioned is Beat Saber, where players use a virtual sword to cut through blocks synchronized with music.

What is Tanya Parker's educational background before finding her passion for computer science?

Tanya Parker initially considered studying business and even switched her major to chemical engineering before realizing her passion for computer science.

What advice does Tanya Parker give to students who are starting to learn computer science?

Tanya advises students to stay open, give computer science a shot, not be afraid to make mistakes, and to be persistent in learning and trying different approaches until they achieve success.

How does Tanya Parker describe the future of virtual reality technology?

Tanya Parker envisions that virtual reality technology will evolve to become more compact and integrated, possibly resembling something like a contact lens or even a bio-integrated device that allows for immersive experiences.

What is the importance of diversity in the workplace according to Tanya Parker?

Tanya Parker highlights the importance of diversity in the workplace to ensure that the virtual reality experiences created are inclusive and cater to all kinds of people, representing a wide range of perspectives.