Mentoring Day with Microsoft on the UW Campus!

A high school student meets with a mentor from Microsoft and DO-IT Visiting Scholar Takeo for tips on preparing for a career.

On April 28, 2010, twenty mentors from Microsoft met with students at the electrical engineering building on the University of Washington Seattle campus for career mentoring and networking. The six high school and six college students talked with mentors about different careers, day-to-day challenges, the fun things they do at work, and planning ahead for the future. Students learned about the importance of taking on academic challenges and seeking out internships.

Participants discussed what they learned at the event, and some comments included the following:

• Multiple forms of education can be an asset in choosing a profession.
• I should apply for internships early.
• I learned that starting small is good first step for me to go big.
• Networking is incredibly important and a great source of acquiring information about different job positions.
• You have to be open-minded about what duties you can take on, despite your academic background.
• Not all individuals that work at Microsoft have a computer science background.
• Writing jobs are available, but you might also need a technical background for certain companies.
• Microsoft has numerous opportunities that can use technical education and skills without having to be a "coder" (programmer).
• You need to stay motivated and learn to use new technologies that change constantly.