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Why I just became a Microsoft Employee — 30 Comments

  1. Congratulations and best of luck. But what really got me to post was that my great-grandparents lived on just about the block you will be working. There used to be small apartment buildings on 6th Avenue (and an el).

  2. I am super excited for you! You will LOVE it. The Microsoft internal technical community takes great care of one another. There is always someone around the globe that can help. Steve Busby out of Alabama is someone to get to know. He is a rock star PDW TSP and a wonderful person too.

    Working for Microsoft was also my technical dream come true. The experience at Microsoft exceeded my wildest expectations personally, professionally and financially. I always joke that I will never, ever make that kind of money again though it sure would be nice. Enjoy the AWESOME life of stocks, bonuses, technical perks, brain food and amazing peers. They will stretch you to be the very best you can be. As for sales: just do what you do, delete annoying quota emails and before you know it you are selling and surpassing your quotas.

    I wish you the best and confess that I will miss your funny recruiter posts.

    Congratulations!
    Jen

  3. Wow James! Congratulations 🙂

    I am sure you’ll do well. Looking forward to working with you from the other side. Hope to still see you at PASS Summit and other SQL Server events.

    All the best.
    Julie

  4. James, congratulations!
    I discovered your blog when doing some research about employee vs consultant. You reason to became Microsoft TSP resonates with me very well. I love to do a lot of research and helping customers, but sometimes project work takes all my days.
    Thanks you very much for sharing.

  5. Hi James,
    I just read the news (yes, it does take me 1/2 an hour to cook a 3 minute egg)….
    Congrats and after hearing you speak and present I believe you to be a natural salesman. Microsoft will do well with acquiring the talent you bring to them. I wish you all the best and look forward to your future advice.

  6. Hi James
    Sounds like the same pro list i had when i considered in becoming an Msft employee after years as an independent. Still interesting that there wasn’t a fit, I actually missed all the shenanigans of the independent life and felt quite insecure with some else handling my business (like getting contracts, doing benefits, doing taxes). It was quite an unsettling time and my creativity was limited. I would like to hear your opinion now, although you probably cannot voice any misgivings you may have. We all have our creative nest, I don’t think it was Msft par say, I think it was just the FTE thing, not my nest.

    • Hi Alan,

      Thanks for asking! After two-and-a-half years at Microsoft, I have to say I am having more fun each and every day. I am still learning at an incredible pace (probably 5x faster than when I was a consultant) and have never been bored. If you have a passion for learning, like to present, like to have the ultimate in resources, like to have unlimited career choices, and like to be surrounded by really smart people, this can be a good fit. But a lot depends on which organization you are in at Microsoft (I’m in pre-sales, or technical sales). It has a great culture, but of course not everyone will like it. My only regret is I did not join Microsoft sooner 🙂

  7. Hello James. I am awaiting a potential offer from Microsoft that may require me moving from Charlotte, NC to Dallas, TX. I like everything that you laid out regarding your rationalization for making the decision. I do not have much experience presenting outside of doing a couple of lunch-and-learns among my team members at my current company. I will become and SME for the data platform. Considering your time at Microsoft what do you like most and least about your job? Do you consider the benefits and bonuses lucrative enough to have justified your move to your new city? Do you find it easy to move to other areas if you actually wanted to do that? Can you provide a little synopsis what a daily routine is in your life as a TSP? How much impact has the position had on your work/life balance?

    Thank for writing such a great post that is beneficial to helping me to make a huge decision.

  8. Hi James,
    Read your post and I like the way you illustrated the pros and cons. I actually have an interview for a TSP position on the Mid-Atlantic Team on 9/6/16. I know it’s late in the game, but I would love to get some insight on your experiences. Let me know if we can chat soon. Thanks again for the post; very insightful.

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