Student Spotlight: Turning a Passion into a Career
Chloe Jian (MIIPS Online ‘25) has turned her love for playing video games into a research role and is using MIIPS to deepen her skills.
By Hannah Brelsford
An avid video game lover, Chloe Jian (MIIPS Online ‘25) wanted to find a way to turn her passion into her career while making an impact on the gaming industry. To achieve this goal, Chloe knew she needed to further her education.
Chloe first heard of the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services (MIIPS) degree after some of her friends graduated from the in-person program. Having seen the positive impact of the program on her friends, she decided to explore the MIIPS Online option, which accommodated her current job and life in Montreal.
“I wanted to expand my knowledge and get to know people who worked in different fields.”
The Fast Facts: A Summary of Chloe’s Time in the MIIPS Online Program
Flexible Learning 📙
- Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services Online Candidate
- Leveling up career skills while working and applying learnings in real-time
- Learning on her own time
Turning a Passion into a Career 🎮
- Loves playing video games
- Game User Researcher at Player Research
- Credited in Elden Ring, the 2022 game of the year
What’s Next 🎓
- Enjoys spending time with her dog Archie
- Focusing on stacking certificates to complete her online master's degree
- Enjoying her current job doing research
Flexible Learning
Chloe’s background is in psychology and computer science. After graduating from McGill University, she pursued a career in research within the gaming industry. While looking to expand her knowledge at the intersection of engineering, design, and business, Chloe found the MIIPS Online program.
To level up her skill set, Carnegie Mellon University and the Integrated Innovation Institute (iii) were a perfect fit. She also liked that the program was designed for people with work experience.
After meeting with Athena Huether, the iii Head of Graduate Enrollment, and learning more about how the certificates could be stacked into a master’s degree, Chloe jumped into the program with her first certificate.
While initially apprehensive about committing to a master’s degree, completing one certificate at a time has helped Chloe manage the workload efficiently and equipped her with the confidence to continue on her journey. With two of the four certificates completed, Chloe intends to apply for the full MIIPS Online degree in the Fall.
The certificates have already proven helpful in her everyday work. Even though Chloe came to the online program with previous experience in user research, she is applying the new techniques and skills she has learned to conduct better user interviews, ultimately improving the product and achieving better results.
“I am already sharing some of my learnings with my colleagues so we can better complete our user interviews. In the bigger picture, too, I am starting to learn so much about the industry in general.”
The program's courses encouraged Chloe to explore other areas of design, such as physical design and management, which helped her understand all the components needed to bea product manager.
“There are a lot of benefits to the online program. The flexibility, the convenience, and being able to just plan my time on my own and not having to stay in the same location. Having the ability to do everything online is amazing.”
The flexibility allows Chloe to take classes from anywhere, so she doesn't have to miss a beat or miss out on experiences. Additionally, iii online faculty work to connect with students so they do not miss out on relationships simply because they are learning in a virtual environment.
“I appreciated Professor Aradhana Goel. She’s been amazing in the User Research for Digital and Physical Products course. For that class, we have to do individual assignments throughout the semester. She has been really helpful in booking regular one-on-one sessions and going through details of the feedback.”
The online classroom also allows students to connect with peers from across the world, with all types of backgrounds. With this learning environment, students can see a range of different ideas from one another. Learning at the iii isn’t just about the material, students get to learn different ways of thinking from one another.
“I enjoy all the group work. Being able to closely work with someone else from a different background and field is amazing. We see amazing ideas come from each other.”
Turning a Passion into Her Career
All of Chloe’s learning from the iii Online Classroom directly impacts her job. Chloe works as a Game User Researcher for Player Research, a video game research consulting agencyHer company does not produce games directly, but they help evaluate user experience behind the games to enhance production to create a better game.
“We help clients evaluate the user experience of their games by recruiting people to play the games and translating those insights back to the client.”
Chloe is credited in the game Elden Ring, an action role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world that was named the 2022 game of the year. This work experience and her accomplishments within the gaming industry mean a lot to Chloe because while she helps produce games, she is also a video game player herself.
“I play games a lot, so when I realized Montreal had a lot of opportunities in games, I immediately thought, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’ It is my favorite hobby combined with my favorite field, which is perfect.”
Since her company is consulting-based, Chloe works on a project basis. When switching between projects, she needs to understand the game fully and do her research—which means playing the clients’ games!
“We have to quickly learn about the game, play it, and finish the content we will be looking at. We also have to have a certain amount of knowledge in the genre.”
What’s Next
Beyond her work and the classroom, Chloe still loves to game in her free time, but she also loves to travel and spend time with her dog Archie.
As for the future, Chloe has many options for her career path, but she is happy where she is. Right now, her focus is on applying for the online degree and eventually completing it. While the industry is changing, one thing is for sure: Chloe loves user research and gaming, so she is at the perfect spot in her career.