Entries tagged 'engineering'
Three-time intern Tessa Palmer on how to rock your Microsoft internship
The ‘Softie in question: Tessa Palmer-Boroski
Job title: Program Manager Intern in Server & Tools
Vancouver native Tessa has just started her third – yes, you read that correctly – internship at Microsoft.We pride ourselves on the quality of our internship experience and believe that the program reflects the company’s values as a whole. But why take our word for it when you can hear all about it from Tessa?
Microspotting tracked down our reigning intern queen so she could drop some well-versed knowledge about what it means to be a Microsoft intern and how to get the most out of the experience.
Tessa’s top five ways to make the most of your internship:
1. Get mentored
Reach out to your mentor and your team to help you adapt to working at Microsoft. Do this throughout your internship, not just at the beginning.
2. Speak up
Communicate how you feel about your role and workload to your mentor, manager and recruiter. Microsoft wants you to find the right fit where you are both happy and successful.
3. Make friends
Get to know the other interns through the distribution list and intern events. Meeting other interns and participating in the group events are some of the best parts of intern life.
4. Explore
Microsoft’s main campus in Redmond is a sight to behold, but make sure to venture off campus and explore as much of the beautiful Seattle/Puget Sound area as possible.
5. Have fun
Work hard but have fun – both inside and outside of work!
Now that you’ve shared some excellent advice, Tessa, what do you do when not interning at Microsoft?
I’m in my fourth year of Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia. I like to bike, dance and am also a huge Vancouver Canucks fan. I’m loyally following them on their way to the Stanley Cup.Leon Wong: from Microsoft to Google and back
The ‘Softie in question: Leon WongTitle: Principal Development Manager, Online Services Division (Bing)
Leon Wong is a man in demand. Throughout his career, he has performed at the top of his field: first at Microsoft, then at Google and now back at Microsoft again. His co-workers - and even his VP - regard Leon as a true rockstar engineer capable of feats unattainable by mere mortals.
But why would such a talent leave a company for a competitor only to return to the original company again? And what does Leon’s story teach us about what the two companies have to offer?
Leon is now back at Microsoft, but he still enjoys a positive relationship with Google and his former colleagues. As such, he is uniquely suited to give us a balanced perspective into working at the two companies.
We sat down with Leon at his office at the Bing headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, to get the inside scoop.
Leon, could you start by telling us where you went to school and how you started your career in technology?
I’m originally from Toronto. My father is a physics professor and he always wanted me to go to the best: to MIT and I did. I received my BS and MS in Artificial Intelligence there started a PhD too, but left to work for a professor’s “decision support” company called Ascent Technology. Eventually, I took a second stab at a PhD at Stanford, but left to join the ‘90s dot com boom with some MIT classmates.“Leaving school to join in on the ‘90s dot com boom” is often the beginning of a tragic story. But, we have a feeling that things went better for you.
We created a company called Flash Communications. It was arguably the first instant messaging service specifically for enterprise clients. We were bought by Microsoft and I came out to Redmond as part of the Exchange Group.Did you always work for Exchange?
I held a variety of roles: I was a development lead then manager for Real-Time Communications which encompassed IM, audio, video, etc. I was later a Research Software Engineer in the Speech Technology Group in Microsoft Research and then worked on Version 1.0 of MSN Search back before it was Bing. Those were the days when it was still just a little group that fit around a single table.When and why did you make the decision to go to Google?
I went to Google as part of the AdSense Group in 2006. At the time, Google had an impressive lead in technology for building online services. I was also interested in its culture of innovation and its reputation for having a great work environment.4 essentials to writing quality code in the Cloud era
If you want to work at Microsoft, an important question to consider is: What constitutes quality code?"Quality code" means so much more than just meeting customer requirements, high code coverage and shipping on time.
The Cloud, mobile and the online space present new challenges that did not exist in standard packaged software. Our online presence “is” our presence and, as an engineer, you need to ensure a few things to deliver quality.
Read my list of four essentials to writing quality code in this new era:
