Bits & Bytes

It’s hard to recap all the incredible projects ‘Softies dedicate their time to over a year in addition to their work commitments (though we do try!), but I wanted to take a moment to give a shout out to all the folks that spend time mentoring young women through our DigiGirlz program.

2011 was an remarkable year for this program with over 5,100 participating students in locations around the US and the world – Spain, Ecuador, Singapore, Denmark and Jamaica – to name just a few.

DigiGirlz, if you aren’t familiar, is a program run by Microsoft that gives high school girls the chance to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees, and get hands on with computers and technology through one day workshops and High Tech Camps.

 

It may come as no surprise, but women are still extremely underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). An August 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce indicates that although women fill close to half of all jobs, they hold less than 25% of STEM jobs. 

As Catherine Ashcraft, a senior research scientist at the National Center for Women & IT, said in an article about the Charlotte, N.C. DigiGirlz camp written for Diverse Magazine, “There are messages that girls get either subtly or not so subtly about who are the kinds of people who do technology. In popular culture it’s often not girls who do the inventing.” And, when they do develop an interest in technology, Ashcraft also talked about the lack of role models. “They find they are often the only girl in the class. It’s intimidating and difficult for them.”

That is where Microsoft’s commitment to DigiGirlz comes in as an early effort to change perceptions of women in STEM related careers.

This amazing lineup of guest speakers and dedicated Microsoft volunteers – all serving as role models, all making valuable contributions in the world through technology – are opening young women’s eyes to the variety of opportunities available in the high-tech industry and to all the things they can accomplish.

As one girl commented on her evaluation form after listening to a workshop session, “It really inspired me to do something extraordinary with my life.”

As I've mentioned before, the Microsoft News Center (MNC) is a great place to check out the latest official news about our company. But they are also running an incredible series about the engineers behind the amazing products at our company.

James Drage, Ricardo Espinoza, Joshua Phillips and Sue Loh - who we profiled here on JobsBlog for her work with high school students - sat down with an interviewer at the MNC to talk about their groundbreaking work on Windows Phone's new look, Mango, and life beyond Microsoft.

Of course you can always read the full article here, but I can't help but highlight my favorite portion of the piece for you here. Especially since it goes to the heart of why I think working at Microsoft is so phenomenal; it's all about the impact. So get a little taste in this excerpt and then head on over and read the full story to see how else these engineers are creating extraordinary experiences every day.

MNC: What’s the thing you’re most proud of about your work?

Drage: I’m proud of the people I’ve managed and mentored to help make this a better company. While I’m not currently a people manager directly, I have been in the past, and that experience has always rubbed off on me. I feel you can always be five or 10 times more effective if you help other people to grow. I’m also proud of the products we’ve put together, especially Windows Phone. I talk to people a lot about their cell phone, and I always get really positive feedback about the Windows Phone that we’ve built.

Espinoza: I’d have to agree with that. I like to walk into the stores and see the Windows Phone displayed, knowing that I helped to build it. It makes me proud to see the phones out there in the field.

Loh: Yeah, the impact we’re able to have on other people’s lives is really amazing.  From my years on Windows CE and Windows Phone, there are literally millions of devices out there running software I’ve worked on. I’ve loved the interaction I’ve had with OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], software developers and end users over the years. I’ve been proud to influence so many peoples’ lives.

Microsoft recently dove head first into the world of film making with our first ever in-house produced documentary entitled Ctrl+Alt+Compete.

As Darryl McDade explains it’s the behind the scenes stories of five startups and how they take their ideas and develop them into products we might end up using in our everyday lives.

But, it’s not always that easy. This documentary is brutally honest and shows all the highs and lows a startup and entrepreneur can go through during this process. Along with the celebratory fist pumping wins there are also the awkwardly painful face-palm moments to say the least.

I’m itching to see the movie myself, but have had to satisfy my cravings with the interview footage and deleted scenes that didn’t make it into the full length movie. You can check these out on Channel 9 or Facebook. Believe me, totally worth the watch.

Though if you don’t want to take my word for it you can always read Todd Bishop’s review on GeekWire.

In the meantime, here is the official trailer for the film: