CMU held a technical job fair yesterday. It was pretty miserable for those of us in HCI, and particularly so for those of us who want to specialize within the field.
Just to relate one experience, I approached a recruiter from a major wireless provider, which shall remain nameless (err, well nearly nameless). I explained that I was interested in wearable computing and that I was sure his company would be looking into wearable technology in the near future if they weren't already. He said, "No, we're not going to be getting into that."
Now I realize that wireless providers don't make their own hardware, but they've got to be aware that wearables are on the horizon. A report by Thinking Materials says that "Wearing a mobile phone instead of carrying one in your pocket will make you use the phone more often." Don't tell me wireless providers aren't interested in how often people use their phones.
Figuring that wearables just weren't on this guy's radar, I asked if he'd take my resume and he said, "No." No?! C'mon, it was a job fair after all...
