Introduction
I applied for the Cloud Solution Architect internship last year. This article is about the time at Microsoft, documenting about work and community in general. In another post I will wrap up Cloud Solution Architect role as this is a whole topic on its own.
Missions - what have I done in 6 months?
Understand Microsoft as a company
Microsoft has around 180,000 employees in more than 100 countries and in Munich, Germany almost 2000 employees are located. It’s insane to realize that the Munich office represents only 1 % of the total sum. And here I am, 1 employee with 2000 colleagues in the same location, out of 180,000 in total. There are hundreds of organizations and roles - The complexity of this company is unimaginable. So where do I to start to understand how the company works?
On the first day, you basically enter a blackbox. Being able to understand let alone abbreviations and buzzwords takes some time. My manager told me it took her 1.5 years. CSU, IBC, WAF, IC - what do they mean? But more importantly, what function does each unit has and how to they communicate? Why do certain roles exist? To this day I only have seen only a tiny part of Microsoft and got a rough picture of what we are doing and for what specific reason.
Networking
One of the reasons why I was able to get a picture of Microsoft was by going on coffee dates. Lots of. I made sure to have 2 coffee dates with new people each week on average. It’s super inspiring what motivators people have and how character traits align with their roles. It also gave me a comparison of my own role and projects which really helped to answer the question whether I like my current path or might consider to change.
Another part of networking was via LinkedIn. It’s a mad addiction of mine and yes, it’s a little over the top. I can’t help it, lol. I just love people and I love to know what they’re doing. Reading through the bio of each individual gives certain information you have not known about this person beforehand but might be interesting to you. The culture and everyone at Microsoft are awesome - if someone catches your eye, hit her or him up to get more insights!
Certifications
Frankly speaking, I am not a fan of the ‘Fundamentals’ Certifications (Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform and so on). Although it might be nice to get a very rough overview of these technologies, I never had the feeling I gained knowledge about this product which actually brings value in my career. It’s like studying for an exam in university - recall it once and never again.
It gets more interesting when studying for certifications with a specification like ‘Azure Administrator’ or ‘Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure’. You get a better overview of the technology and an understanding of how a certain role uses this technology. And probably looks good on the CV as well. However, obtaining the certification only does not particularly prove that you can handle customers or have hands-on experience. That’s why I highly, highly recommend trainings and get involved in customer projects.
Training and Shadowing
Training is an essential part when starting at Microsoft as an intern with a technical role. Obviously, I barely have any experience and therefore can’t handle any customers on my own. The best way to get some preparation and knowledge is through hands-on training, labs, and Hackathons. It gave me the upskilling boost I needed to understand technical conversations at least somewhat. Microsoft has endless resources to offer, in the beginning it gets quite overwhelming where to start. Luckily, asking colleagues and my team really accelerated the process to get onto the right track. It takes a lot of own initiative and spirit as well to develop yourself. Managers and mentors only guide, the responsibility for your own path relies on you.
Shadowing colleagues in customer calls is as important. It’s the real deal and gives you a glimpse of the actual role. One difficulty I had was to find out who to shadow and in which calls. Which role or technology fascinates me? Which projects and topics do I want to deep dive in? Most of the times I went into calls to find the answers. If it’s interesting, I continued to go to these meetings and if not, I continued searching for other projects.
Creating own projects
Whether contributing to the community or building architectures on Azure - it is important to start own projects and get things done independently. I learned what is within my capacity and what I am capable of.
Socializing with interns
During the first weeks I discussed my goals and ambitions of this internship with my manager. Socializing with fellow interns is not a must-do nor an achievement you define for your career.
I love my day-to-day job and I sometimes catch myself working in the evenings because the projects give me the drive to do so. But hands down, this internship would not have been half as much fun if it wasn’t for these amazing people. These people made the whole experience an adventure I will forever hold close to my heart. We hang out literally 2 - 3 times each week having dinner, cooking together, to go ice skating and even having trips together. We became a Microsoft family and I do consider them as close friends. Even though some of them decided to not continue their journey at Microsoft or in Munich, I am very confident that I will encounter them every now and then in my lifetime.
What Challenges did I face?
Definitely the pace.
I’m not talking about the time. It’s the amount of information you daily receive. New e-mails, messages on teams, several meetings a day of all the projects you are having in parallel - process everything in an efficient and effective way, actually making progress and sorting out irrelevant information is a skill.
All these (amazing) distractions.
It’s a classic FOMO situation - Something is coming up and you don’t want to miss out. So initially, you say yes as you could still cancel or quit along the way. The thing is … you will encounter new people, projects and events are coming up every single day. It took quite some time for me to understand that my plate was fuller than I could handle. Hence, thinking beforehand whether I was really able to make time and to commit is one of the key factors.
What are the most valuable take-aways and development I see in myself?
Self determination and self responsibility
In the very beginning I asked my mentor what I should do to successfully accomplish my internship. He smiled at me and said: “Well, that’s completely up to you what you want to achieve for yourself.” Now 6 months later, I almost can’t believe I asked that question and implicitly let others define for me what I should achieve.
The best part of this 6 months journey was to discover myself, my ambitions and my motivators which give me the drive to take action.
Confidence boost
I lacked in confidence, and it certainly got better. In such a community and company culture, I realized how much I’ve thrived through the support of the people around me and learned, that challenging myself is fun.
The culture within a company is essential
Eventually, all the positive effects and self-development has resulted from one fundamental source - The culture. I highly recommend reading Satya Nadella’s book ‘Hit Refresh’. I’ll release a Book Note about it this year, feel free to have a look once it’s published.
The People
I learned a lot about myself by connecting with people. Everyone has their character traits and by comparing them with my own, I learned about my strength and weaknesses. Hearing their stories and ambitions gave me insights whether I identify myself with them and allowed me to ask them for further career advice.
And again - I love people. It can be different for you but connecting with colleagues on a professional level is for me as much enrichening as connecting with my fellow interns personally. It’s been a pleasure and continues to be!
What advice would I give myself when starting all over again?
Define your goals
It’s probably hard to identify your goals in the very beginning as Microsoft has endless opportunities to offer. But once you know what’s going on and in which direction you want to go, be very specific when defining your goals. It helps you to not lose track and furthermore, it gives you a great sense of achievement when eventually reaching your goal. Don’t be afraid to change path or set different goals - ambition and vision change along the way. Just make sure it’s a conscious decision if your values have changed.
Ask for help, get connected
Everyone’s busy with their projects and customers. With 2000 employees located in Munich, there is obviously no chance to track every single newcomer and ask them actively whether they need help. Microsoft has this amazing culture though that everyone is utterly helpful and would make time if their schedule allows it. Instead of expecting others reaching out to you, take the initiative reaching out to people yourself. So go out, get connected, ask for help - people have been in your shoes and have necessary information to get the right resources.
Build your board of advisors
Think of aspects in your life where you would like to have guidance. Then ask yourself who might be a possible candidate to be your personal advisor. For me at least, I had a …
… mentor who looks at performance and the track I’m currently on. Getting insightful and sound feedback from an experienced professional is the most valuable take away for self-development.
… career mentor who took the time and genuinely listened to me when talking about the obstacles I had. We analyzed the situation and had healthy discussions to choose the right career path for me.
… technical mentor who I shadowed and reached out to talking about technologies I deep dived into. I want to upskill my technical knowledge and by discussing questions I bring in our weekly meeting, I get a better and better understanding every time.
… advisor whose values align with mine. I identify with topics all around sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. Connecting with a dedicated advocate with the same values brings enrichment on a deeper level.
Tanja, Christoph, Sarah and Ana - I truly appreciate your insights and advise through the entire time. It has certainly defined my career path and I’m curious what the future will bring. Thank you for support and guidance.