Chris Tice

BS computer science '08

Occupation: Software engineer with Facebook
Residence: San Francisco, CA

Why did you choose to attend the University of Rochester?

I was initially attracted because of the reputation of the computer science department and the ability to take classes across different disciplines, not just those related to my major.  Also, I really fell in love with the campus when I visited.

What did you do immediately after graduation? How did you decide to take that path?

I took a short break to go on a vacation with my family, moved out to California a few weeks later, then started working at Facebook in June 2008. I knew since high school that I wanted to move to Silicon Valley because of the great tech companies in the area. In retrospect I should have taken some more time off before jumping into the real world.

How do you balance your work and personal life?

Have some hobbies that you really enjoy.  I've always enjoyed running and cycling, and once I took some swim lessons, I started racing in local triathlons beginning in the summer of 2009. Training and competing is a great way to clear your mind.

How are you still connected with the University?

My fiance and I try to attend Meliora Weekend each year and reconnect with friends and former professors.  Along with our local alumni liaison (Kyle Polite), I'm hoping to get more involved with alumnus in the Bay area.  I also just started doing alumni interviews for prospective students this year.

For software engineers (and I would imagine many other disciplines), the experience you gain outside of school, whether that be through internships or personal projects, is looked extremely highly upon by employers. That's not to say the knowledge I gained through classes was not helpful (it certainly was for the interview process and occasionally in my day-to-day work), but finding something you're passionate about and pursuing it with your heart is a great way to end up with a career you enjoy.