This post is part of a bi-weekly series in which we get to know Sifties.
Jeff Watson is a business development representative (soon to be an account executive) who has been with Sift Science for 10 months. If he could eat only one food for the rest of his life, it would be Mexican food because it’s so versatile — you can prepare it a number of different ways and it includes all the basics.
What skill would you love to learn?
The guitar — especially the blues. I’ve always been very into music, both from learning a lot of past bands from my dad and being into current music. Not knowing an instrument myself has always been a bit of a bummer. I’d like to be more connected to music.
Where is your favorite place to be?
Ocean Beach – I actually just moved there! I spend a lot of time surfing, so it has become the place where I spend most of my time. But it can also be my least favorite place to be, because it can be difficult and not hospitable at times.
Where were you born?
I was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in Maryland. My family has moved around a lot – I lived in Costa Rica, went to Boulder, Colorado for school, lived in the Czech Republic, and now live in San Francisco.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I wanted to be a paleontologist. I was really into dinosaurs — I knew both their scientific names and common names, what period they lived in, and what they ate. When I got older, I realized I am very fair skinned and wouldn’t do well in the sun digging holes in the desert.
How did you get into surfing?
I grew up a swimmer and did other boards, but never surfed growing up. After graduating college in Boulder, I moved to San Diego where my parents were living and told myself that I would learn how to surf and stick with it until I could actually learn. Since I live right near the beach now, I get to go surfing a minimum of three times a week.