Working at Microsoft-work experience in microsoft
As a long-time Apple and UNIX user/programmer, I never aspired to work at Microsoft. (And I\'m still a little surprised to be here.) I\'ve never despised Microsoft like so many people seem to do — it\'s just that Microsoft products weren\'t a part of my world.Then my wife got a job at Microsoft, so I needed to leave Caltech/JPL to work in Seattle. I didn\'t actually apply to Microsoft — a friend of ours who worked there circulated my résumé and Microsoft responded rapidly and set up a last-minute interview. Although I had five other offers, Microsoft made the best impression.
And so, here I am. I\'ve been working at Microsoft since October, 1999 as a full-time Software Design Engineer. In that time, I\'ve worked for three teams in two divisions, and had six or seven different managers. Four products I\'ve worked on have shipped, two more are in beta, and I\'ve also \"consulted\" for many other teams across the company, thereby influencing directly and indirectly a large number of Microsoft\'s products.Between my experience and my wife\'s, I think I\'ve gotten a pretty solid feel for what it\'s like to work in a product group at Microsoft.As much as I enjoyed working at Caltech/JPL, it wasn\'t until I got to Microsoft that I realized that there\'s an enormous difference between working for a software company and a company where software is just a step towards some other goal (space science, finance, medicine, retail, etc.).
Everyone at Microsoft \"gets\" software — the managers, the administrative assistants, the vice presidents... Even many of the \"blue collar\" workers (cooks, janitors, bus drivers) know something about software — it\'s not normal! At NASA, most managers and even some scientists had no real understanding of software or software development. Elevating the common denominator in this way makes Microsoft a wonderful workplace for people who love making software (even if it\'s far removed from the reality of \"the real world\", which can cause other problems, like overinflating the importance of software).
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As a parent, I\'ve come to understand that there\'s a wide gray area between overprotecting your children and creating a nuturing environment in which they can develop.I think Microsoft struggles with a similar problem with its employees. Microsoft provides its employees with a nuturing environment in which they can be most productive. But like children, these employees also need to be grounded in reality and exposed to ideas that can be disruptive or even disturbing. Otherwise a sheltered monoculture can develop that\'s unhealthy for everyone involved.
It\'s hard for people who don\'t work at Microsoft\'s main campus to understand just how unreal the experience of working there can become. Some employees forget that most of the world doesn\'t have broadband wireless networking, high-end consumer electronics, luxury vehicles, and enough money that they don\'t need to live on a budget. Some employees spend so much time using Microsoft products, that they forget about the competition and/or lose touch with typical customers\' needs.