Image: By: Danielle Hamann In spring 2025, Alex Cole (BS Psychology ‘15) visited virtually with the Department of Psychology’s course, PSYC 3030: Preparing for a Career in Psychology. Cole has worked in various fields including youth autism behavioral labs, clinical research, UX research at Facebook and most recently, product management at Riot Games. He shared his experience and career path with the class. While at UGA, Cole was determined to become a clinical psychologist, but as he grew closer to graduation, he felt called to pursue a different route. Cole took advantage of several undergraduate research opportunities, which led him to pursue positions in research fields. “Clearly there is something that drove me to pursue psychology,” said Cole. “I just loved being a part of meaningful research.” Post-graduation, Cole began his career in Seattle in an autism behavior lab at the University of Washington. Cole describes his apartment as living in a dorm again, but he was so happy to be doing what he loved—helping families. Cole stayed in this position for two years before he decided to explore other opportunities. “One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received is to look at your career as a jungle gym,” said Cole. “Your career may not always be moving forward, and you may be jumping around, but that is okay.” Since then, Cole has worked at Seattle Children’s Hospital in cardiology research, Facebook in UX research and he currently works at Riot Games in product management. “Product management is where I finally found a centering,” said Cole. “It felt like what my home might be as a career.” Cole offered students invaluable advice for their future careers, emphasizing the importance of being open and honest and learning from failing. “You can think of your career as three buckets - salary, prestige and passion,” said Cole. “You can’t fill them all, but it’s up to you to determine which ones are most important and fill those.” Cole’s journey emphasizes the diverse paths that a psychology degree from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences has to offer. From research to product management, the post-graduate opportunities are endless.
