Silicon Beach

Santa Monica Pier

It's been a week since I last blogged, but I have a really good reason: I've been scoping out the LA scene, to pursue job opportunities here. While in Los Angeles, I have enjoyed a day on the set of Glee, a meeting and tour at the DreamWorks Animation offices, a walk along the Santa Monica Pier, and a TechZulu Tech Crawl in Santa Monica. While at the Tech Crawl, I felt that I was very much in my element, as it reminded me of startup and tech events that I've attended back in Montreal. I met a variety of people at the event, from UCLA Anderson MBA students to first-time entrepreneurs.

In Silicon Beach, the startup founders and techies grapple with the fact that they are working hard while their friends lie out on the beach. North of the border, though, the Quebec tech sector seems to be worried about the PQ's plan to bolster the use of French in their offices (see the Montreal Gazette article here). Meanwhile, in New York City, the program Girls Who Code is equipping young females with skills to succeed in the male-dominated tech industry, as reported by Fast Company at this link. Though I'm not yet sure whether I will end up in Montreal, New York, LA, or another location, I do know that if I'm in Montreal, I hope to participate in next year's C2-MTL event. The 2013 lineup was announced and it looks like there will be some great speakers!

I have to say, though, the weather in LA has been beautiful and my trip has already been a lot of fun, making it feel as though living out here would be a dream come true. (There are, of course, downsides which include traffic and unreliable people.) We shall see what happens as I continue to network and pursue employment opportunities here.