Photo courtesy of Flickr - scobleizer
When Google was founded in 1998, Alexandra Cohn (BA ’01) was a philosophy student at York University. Today, Cohn works for Google Canada.
As a sales development manager, she helps the tech giant to provide market and consumer insights that in turn help top retailers and technology and telecom companies in the country drive their business forward. As an active member of Google Canada’s community affairs program, Cohn recently returned to York for a Let’s Talk Science event, explaining to students how math and science are used in everyday world.
“Working for Google is like a dream come true for me,” she said in an interview. “I have always loved Google’s product and its mission. Aside from the perks, the workplace is a fun environment with a culture of learning that is open, innovative and inspiring.”
Alexandra Cohn (BA '01)
Prior to her role with Google, Cohn spent close to a decade with leading marketing and social research firms. She worked across sectors, from retail to consumer goods, and managed research programs for Fortune 500 companies in Toronto and London, England.
It was not something the liberal arts grad from York had set out to do as a career.
“My original goal was to get a PhD and become a philosophy professor,” Cohn said. “Philosophy teaches you how to think, not what to think, and how to ask really good questions and strategically answer them.”
More than once, Cohn had applied for opportunities at Google, but was never successful. Failing to land her ideal job at the time, she returned to school, obtaining master’s degrees in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario and in comparative politics and conflict studies from the London School of Economics.
Looking back, “philosophy has really prepared me for the workforce I’m in now. Most people don’t realize philosophy students can be very analytical and there are tons of skills you can learn that would prepare you for the technology field,” Cohn said. “I’m happy to be in a role that allows me to ask questions and seek insights on a daily basis. You never know where your education will take you.”