Michael is a Software Development Manager currently working on Alexa's Machine Learning Data Platform for Amazon. Previously, he worked as a manager and engineer for ten years in the entertainment industry, leading development of mobile games and writing artificial intelligence, animation, and gameplay code for console games such as Grand Theft Auto 5.

He's written articles in the Game AI Pro and Game Programming Gems series and has been a top-50 rated conference speaker at the Game Developer's Conference.

A colleague working with Michael had the following to say: Michael, has never ceased to impress me. His communication skills are top notch, his enthusiasm is seemingly limitless, and his understanding of AI is both broad and deep.

Michael works directly with recent graduates and says that he loves working with them. We talk about his experience in the gaming industry and with artificial intelligence, the difference between being an individual contributor and being a manager, how to overcome boredom at work and what to do to impress your manager. Michael has a lot of great advice for recent graduates and I am super excited to share this conversation with you.

Notable quote:

“I can’t overstate enough as a manager how wonderful it makes me feel when I have people on the team who I can give work to and I can feel confident that it will get done to quality and on time”

Find Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dawe/

Learn more about The Graduate at work: www.thegraduateatwork.com