Can I get a job at MS without a degree?
I have tons of real world experience but no degree. I have seriously deep industry knowledge, accomplishments and “next wave” roadmaps for my industry. Do I have any shot at getting a MSFT recruiter’s attention? How about giving a guy a few clues, eh?
- Degree of Interest
Dear "Degree of Interest": Great question. Microsoft has always prided itself on finding the best talent anywhere, regardless of where it comes from. Yes, we do a lot of recruiting on college campuses and that gets a lot of press. But we also spend a great deal of time scouring resumes, job fairs, industry events and shows looking for people with great talent. In the beginning a degree can be important. CS grads know the basics, know the theory, and have a head start when it comes to our entry-level jobs. On a foundational level, that is a good thing. But once you are out of school and working in the industry, experience is critical. I recruit for the Core OS Division. This is the group within MSFT that ensures all of the deep kernel processes of the OS work seamlessly. We need incredibly talented, technically-deep engineers to solve some of the toughest computer science problems there are. When I am reviewing resumes, I ask the following questions:
- What do you want to do?
- What have you done so far?
- Have you grown in each experience?
- Are there any gaps in your experience?
- Have you taken any risks?
- What degree do you have?
- What school did you attend?
School is important, but it's only one thing -- and as you can see from this list, it's more of a data point than a barrier to entry. Be honest in your resume, target and limit the amount of jobs you apply to and make sure they match your skills, abilities and experience -- and then do your homework. Once you are in the interview process (phone interview, tech interview, face-to-face) your educational background will not be a primary part of the evaluation. Can you code? Can you solve challenging problems? Can you work effectively with a team? Can you resolve conflict? Can you make others great? Can you contribute and grow? These are the questions we seek to answer.
P.S. – I can think of at least one relatively successful Microsoftie that famously did not get a degree: Bill Gates.
Apply away and see you on campus soon.
-Greg
Dear JobsBlog:
11 Comments
Phuong said:
Hi Blogger
What about international people without degree?
:)
said:
This is actually true of the industry in general -- the effect of having a (Bachelor's, at least) degree drops off over a couple years as your industry experience is built up. A degree will give you an advantage in an entry-level job, but after a few years not so much. All a degree says is that someone's vouching that 1) you were exposed to some widely-standardized set of material, and 2) you performed at some minimum level regarding it. In a few years, you've hopefully exceeded in both counts.
The degree itself doesn't *have* to be in CS, either -- mine's in physics and astronomy. Remember that the folks who started this industry didn't have degrees in it, either.
EricTN said:
Nice answer to the question, and heartening. I've been coding for a couple of decades at many corporations but my B.A. is in Film Production, a degree I have never once used in my lifetime. I'd love to work for Microsoft but I'd need to have a sweet setup like Rob Conery where he works mainly from home and goes to Redmond on a schedule rather than move there. And, well, I'm good, but I ain't no Rob Conery.
said:
@EricTN: Similar situation with me -- I taught myself BASIC back in 1982. I got my degree because I liked the math, toys, and pretty pictures.
Though my degree was for my enjoyment, it *did* give me some consideration for a temp job (cataloging court evidence of a scientific nature) and sympathy for my first industry position (hiring manager had just left a post-doc program in solar astrophysics because, as he put it, he wanted to do something more than six people on the planet understood, or cared about).
Entry Level Jobs said:
Bill Gates is the leader here. He has inspired so many out there to think something out of the box and drop out :-)
Dee said:
I am from the Caribbean and would love to work at Microsoft. The job opportunities here are scarce, my area of interest would be something in technical support. I am not qualified, by I do have high school diploma, I recently completed my CISCO IT Essential I & II courses and did my CompTIA A+ along with my CompTIA Server+ pending. I have mostly been doing odd jobs fixing PC's and maintenance of small networks for the past few years. I wondering, what would my 'degree' of experience qualify for me as a job at Microsoft. I am willing to start at the bottom.
Tom said:
I'd also like to know if there are possibilites for foreigners if they don't have a degree. I would fit in a Windows localization role, worked several years on localizing Windows (at a loc vendor) but lack the degree. Is it true that without one you can't get a work permit for the US? If yes, is this going to change under the new administration next year?
cheers
Tom
Link Building said:
Just out of interest do you nkow the % of people you employ that do and don't have a degree?
Degree of Interest said:
Greg,
I knew this would strike a chord if it was used in the newsletter. How gratifying that only a matter of days after posting the question I see it front and center!!!
This has rekindled my desire to create a role for myself at MSFT!
Today the newsletter, Tomorrow the MSFT campus!!!
(Now to begin my work on the master plan)
James Hvizdalek said:
I would love to do some work for Microsoft from home but I'm willing to travel to Redmond cause I live in Seattle area. As you will see, my knowlege with computers is very limited but even there, I know that if given the chance I could do a lot for Microsoft if I put my mind to it; perhaps, typing up simple documents for them, researching, texting, interacting with customers online; taking pictures with my Logitech webcam; and everything else in between non-technical. Check out this video I made with my Logitech webcam which I posted to YouTube, click on url below:
<a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md3ZcP5hUSA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md3ZcP5hUSA</a>
Ronald Trang said:
Hi
I'm interested in interning at microsoft and I love to work with computers but I'm a mathematical major and I'm wondering if that major is eligible for an internship at microsoft? Thanks!