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June 18, 2002
Life At Microsoft
Ok, I've had several (!) requests for more entries about life at Microsoft. Ironically, most of these requests came from hard-core Linux users, so I guess they want to see what they're missing.
Like I wrote earlier, every employee gets an office, not a cubicle (with the exception of the new interns who are sitting in what was once the lounge). I share an office with my mentor, Jeanine. Every intern gets a mentor. A mentor is supposed to be a person who an intern can ask questions and turn to for guidance. My mentor is great, I can interrupt her anytime and ask her questions. Some interns aren't so lucky, and have mentors who don't have time to deal with them. I even heard of one mentor who said "Don't ever ask me the same question twice." Ouch.
Each team is divided into three groups: Product Managers (PM), Developers (Dev) and Test. PMs make design decisions, Devs implement them and Test makes sure Dev did a good job. I'm in Test, but it's not strict black-box testing. I write programs that test the product for me. Test is also supposed to be the customers' representative inside the company. Basically, we refine the PMs' design and give Dev more work.
Unlike my internship at Corel, I don't feel a sense of adversity between the teams. There is nothing personal about finding a bug, or criticizing someone's design. We work together to make a better user experience, instead of against each other to save face.
I sit in on a lot of meetings, and my input is both appreciated and expected. No one is too high on the ladder to listen, and no one is too low to speak their piece. There are also numerous "hallway meetings" where employees discuss work or whatever in the hall outside their offices.
So far this has been the most fulfilling internship. Both my teams at Corel and at AISoft had no clear direction, so I didn't feel like I was making any real contribution. Here, I know my product is important, and my work feels worthwhile. People care whether or not I get my work done on time, and before I leave, our product is going to ship.
What a time to be alive.
Comments
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Posted by: at February 12, 2004 6:14 AM