The black and blues of Intel, IBM, and Microsoft, surviving chips to bits without much bruising. I’ve worked at 3 of the largest computer companies in the world and I wanted to share my experiences here with you.
Intel – a software person in a hardware world
On my first day at Intel, I got to take a tour of a fabrication plant where I would soon be working. I felt like I was walking into a TV commercial as I put on the static-free suits and watched technicians take wafers of silicon and turn them into processors. I listened in amazement as our tour guide described the fabrication process, knowing soon I would be developing the software along this process. At Intel, I was and intern and worked on automation for a fabrication plant. In this role at Intel, I owned the software I worked on, I did the requirements gathering, design, development, and testing. I was involved in rolling out the software to the manufacturing floor, and providing support for the software as it is used.
Here are some of my favorite things about working at Intel:
1) The cafeteria, I had moved across the country and was living in a furnished apartment with another intern named Kunal. As a college student, great food at my fingertips was a HUGE perk!
2) Intel’s internship process was great, they connected all the interns so we could find roommates for the summer and find temporary lodging for a few months. During my internship, my boss encouraged me to have informational interviews with a different employee each week. This was a wonderful way to understand the different jobs available at Intel and to network with other employees.
3) Intel has a program called Rotational Engineering where you can spend spend a year in 3, 4-month rotations in different jobs at Intel. This is a great way to ‘try-on’ different roles and teams at Intel before you make a larger commitment to one team. If I had skipped grad school, I would have joined this program hands down.
4) I also got exposed to Intel’s research department and the cool things going on there in graphics and RFID. I had never thought about Intel as a company that does software research, but they are interested in advancing the art of computing to take advantage of processor improvements.
The Corporate Culture (imho):
Intel does a lot of manufacturing so they employ a number of engineers to understand and improve upon their processes. Until this point, I had always lumped all computer-related companies into a big bucket. Being a software engineer, I was in the minority at Intel. The company, however, relied heavily on good software to run. If the software in the plants went down, that meant a huge loss in production (and money) for Intel. My job was very mission critical which was exciting. I found the software was always very focused at fine-tuning the hardware process and less focused on generally good software design or reusable software … two of my passions.
The corporate culture of Intel supported lots of education and I took a number of trainings while I was there including effective communication and effective teamwork. Up until this point, I had very little training in soft skills so these were incredibly useful.
IBM
I did an internship with the IBM Extreme Blue Program in Austin and then joined full-time to work on a first release product called: IBM WebSphere Front Office for Financial Markets … long name, but basically it is the software that would run an information ticker like you see on TV on the bottom of CNBC or Bloomberg (or CNN but with stock info).
I worked in a really cool division of IBM Software Group called vertical industry solutions. These are customer-focused software teams that help create a solution for a specific set of customers such as telephone, banking, or financial markets. The development in this group is very customer-oriented.
As a developer at IBM, I did design, development, debugging, and unit testing of my software. In my group, we did a lot of requirements gathering, but this is very dependent on the group inside of IBM. There are generally separate teams for testing and for product support, although the developers work very closely with both of these teams.
The Corporate Culture: (imho)
At IBM there is a a generational gap. There are many folks that have 25+ years of experience and many with 0-15 years of experience, but very few people in the 15-25 yr range. In certain areas of IBM, this gap provides a feeling of parenting between the more- and less-experienced employees . In some areas, this is a huge benefit because the more-experienced employees provide great mentorship and leadership for the less-experienced employees. In other areas, it creates a lot of challenges.
At IBM, I felt they focused on developing expertise in their employees, be it customer, technical, or management expertise. Employees tend to stay in roles for a long period of time, developing deep understanding in these areas.
IBM has very few levels of promotion and most employees promote only 2-3 times throughout their career. This took a while for me to fully appreciate, because coming out of school I was used to moving at such a rapid pace. You can still receive pay increases and performance bonuses, but promotions are longer time investment.
My favorite thing about IBM (by far) was the well-established processes and incentives for publishing and patenting. I went to IBM straight out of grad school and was in a mode of writing up technical results. IBM encourages and incentivizes to prototype with new technologies and write articles (like DeveloperWorks) or patents around these news ideas. There was a patent review board where I could submit ideas and I go to sit with the lawyers to write-up patents when the ideas are approved. We had patent groups that get together and brainstorm ideas. I found the process to be a blast and a great way to meet new people. I co-invented 20 patents while I was at IBM.
As I was discussing this with my husband, he reminded me that at IBM I spent a LOT of time giving status. Status on status on status of items. I’m not sure if this was just my group or because I was a n00b, but I often felt that I spent more time reporting on things than actually doing them.
A small, but important, feature at IBM that I really liked was the Thank You Awards. At IBM each employee has a handful of awards they can send to someone else in the company who has helped them out. These are not major (a photo box, cross pens, etc) but it’s something that gave a quick and easy way to say thank you across teams and across divisions for taking that extra effort to help.
Microsoft
I am currently at Microsoft as an Academic Developer Evangelist … no, I will not heal you :) Although evangelism has been associated with churches and religion these days, Guy Kawasaki outlines the Art of Evangelism stating that evangelists are passionate about a cause. My cause is ensuring students have the access, exposure, and education that they desire to prepare themselves for success.
As you can imagine this job is tons of fun, I write the ‘News for Students’ section of the MSDN Flash Newsletter and hang out on our new Facebook Student Community (Microphone) and Facebook Group. I create lots of online trainings like these on YouTube.
The Corporate Culture: (imho)
At Microsoft I have a field position and if there’s one thing I have learned so far it’s that each division, group, and team in Microsoft operates very differently. The view from here is a bit different, no free soda or high-speed network for starters.
Evangelism is a fast-paced culture with a TON of email. In my interactions with other employees they tend to use email instead of instant messenger, so the email comes at a furious pace. For me, this was a bit daunting until I found a good rhythm. A lot of Microsoftees refer to this as “drinking from a fire hose”. So far, the fire hose is still pouring although I’m drinking ok for the moment.
As a company, Microsoft values breadth of experience. At Microsoft, employees tend to changes positions every 2-3 years. For me, this is exciting. I am beginning my career and want to get a wide variety of experiences underneath me. Although, it also means that as soon as I build a good relationship with another group the people in those groups tend to move on. However, the next point makes this more bearable …
I have found the product groups in the developer division (DevDiv) at Microsoft to be very approachable and responsive. Each product group has a set of mailing lists (which makes them easy to find) and I get responses to questions within 24 hrs. I’ve been working a lot lately with the Popfly Team and they generally fix my bugs in <48 hrs … wait did I mention that their team is <20 people. This is helpful since people move around a lot and it encourages you to learn more and ask questions.
I’ve found a lot of support at Microsoft for exploring ideas. I’ve heard from folks in DevDiv that the patenting is encouraged and incentivized, but don’t have any personal experience. I have participated in a number of competitions, submitting ideas that could potentially allow me to create my own “start-up” within Microsoft. My first year I participated in Think Week and last year I submitted a proposal to a Dragon’s Den competition in my division. I’ve never won, but the competitions are a great way to let your voice be heard within the company and to get feedback from the leadership teams.
In my division, I have found a lot of support to think independently and work as a free agent. My management team is very hands-off which provides me the freedom to really drive my own ideas and my own success. Although, ironically, I occasionally wish there were a little more status so I knew more about what all these other free agents were working on to be more involved or to better team up :)
Phew, if you made it this far thanks for reading. What experiences have you had that are similar or different?
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This is perhaps the coolest innovation from Microsoft, Live Search and Give!
Search and Give is a new search entry point for Live Search. When you sign-in using your Live ID, Microsoft will donate advertising proceeds to your favorite charity or even your child’s school from your search results. It’s that simple.
I set it up today and picked one of my favorite charities. (www.climbforkids.org set up by my long time mentor's husband.) What a great way to not change my habits (I search ALL the time) but still help others!
What is iGive?
The iGive campaigns are a way for Microsoft to “give back” to the communities that we live in and serve. It is part of the overall corporate citizenship pillar of key initiatives that we all embrace as part of our work at Microsoft. Every donor receives an iGive shirt. iGive is a program run at many conferences including Mix 2008, Grace Hopper 2008 and the upcoming Microsoft Professional Developers Conference.
YWCA http://ywca.org
The iGive program supports the YWCA by raising money and helping raise awareness about their mission to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA makes a difference in many communities by providing safe places for women and girls, building strong women leaders, and advocating for women's rights and civil rights in Congress.
Where will the iGive YWCA campaign take place?
The dual conference launch of the iGive campaign in both Las Vegas & New York during March 2008 (in honor of National Women’s History Month) collected over 150 individual donations, and raised over $1400 from attendees at MIX and the Financial Services Developer Conference. The YWCA campaign will continue to run during the month of October and will be promoted at both Grace Hopper Conference and Professional Developers Conference.
What makes the iGive shirt so special (why would I want one)?
It’s Microsoft like you have never seen it! The front of shirt has real Swarovski crystal gems forming the special iGive formula for the charity of choice. Celebrate diversity for yourself or a special female in your life. These shirts are limited edition, so be the first to collect each in the series!
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When I lived in Columbus, I went to see Def Poetry Jam where people passionately tell their story through poems they’ve written. I’m not much of a poet, nonetheless, here’s my story.
I’m a singer. That’s right I sing, I’ve sung evensongs at cathedrals all across England and Scotland, I sang in the Ohio State Women’s Glee Club, and I am a lifelong music enthusiast. I was a music major when I first started at Ohio State, and I thought I would one day sing in the NY Met … yes, I thought I would be a diva.
I arrived at Ohio State and discovered that “singing homework” is practice, practice, practice. And, after many hours in a closet-sized room with its tiny window and a piano squished between two walls I realized practicing was not really my forte. Instead I wanted to enjoy my new-found freedom and the life of the average broke college student … eating lots of macaroni, staying up all night, drinking lots of PBR, and not practicing hour after hour.
When I got to college, I was the on the low-tech end of the spectrum. I’d never emailed or im’d, and my computer experience consisted of writing a few book reports with Word … or Word Perfect … I can’t even recall. In high school, I learned to type on a typewriter. To quote Journey, “I’m just a small-town girl, born and raised in north Ohio”. You may be thinking I am old enough to be your mom … but I assure you, I am not. So how did I, a girl from small-town Ohio, figure out that I could work with computers?
One day I signed up for an Integral Calculus course called Math 152C. Little did I know that that the ‘C’ in this course meant that this course was Calculus taught on computers. When I walked into the class I almost died. Calculus and computers, two challenging things for me. As it turned out, this class was one of the best courses I took at Ohio State and I signed up to be a Teaching Assistant the next quarter.
The course-style was team-oriented using Calculus & Mathematica to understand the principles of calculus and integration. It was a great environment to ask a lot of computer questions and a lot of math questions. It made me realize I like problem solving and logical reasoning. I found a Philosophy course on Logical Philosophy and thought I would become a Philosophy major.
As luck would have it philosophy majors have to take a lot of History. Perhaps my worst subject. They take not only History of the World, but also History of Philosophy. This was clearly not the place for me. I talked a lot with my philosophy professor and he recommended I try a computer science course … what? Yes, that’s right Computer Science applies a lot of the principals of logical reasoning and problem solving. So, off I went to enroll in my first computer science course.
The introductory Computer Science courses at Ohio State are really fun and thankfully not very intimidating. They have created a 3-course series using an in-house language called ResolveC++. They put you in teams of 1-3 and have in-class exercises. I never felt like I was behind other programmers. I still keep in touch with the faculty who developed these courses.
And now … I’m a PC and that’s my story. See more stories from PCs around the world.
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Grace Hopper can be a bit jolting as a first-time attendee. I first attended Grace Hopper as a senior in Computer Science and Engineering at Ohio State University. I attended with two women I barely knew - Bettina Bair, a diversity leader at Ohio State, and Rebecca Fiebrink, a double major in music and computer science. For me, this was the first time I had EVER been in a room with this many women and I was a bit shell-shocked. Here’s a few steps in case you find yourself by a wall wondering if attending was a good decision.
Step 1: Breathe
You’ve probably spent the last 1-4 years taking classes and working with mostly men. If you’re lucky, you’ve met those few women in your department that you love to team with and will stay in touch with forever. Now, you’re stuck navigating your way through this conference.
In my experience, few women go into technology primarily because they are great small-talkers and want to spend 72 hours with other women. However, you might be surprised by these women because they have a lot in common with you. They like to solve problems and work together, they are analytical. They like to have fun and crack techie jokes. Most importantly, they are ALSO worried about how to introduce themselves to you and will be thrilled for you to break the ice.
Take a few deep breaths and jump right in. Make sure to introduce yourself to the people on your left and right during sessions and lunch. Think of a little fact to use when you introduce yourself so that these people will remember you.
Step 2: Have Fun
Bottom line, you’re here to have fun! Whether fun for you is attending sessions, creating a video blog or talking with other women about a difficulty you’re facing. Don’t let the pace of the conference overwhelm you, you don’t have to attend EVERY session. There is a lot of value in sitting a session out to get to know some other women (more formally know as networking :)).
Step 3: Learn 3 things
Find a few key takeaways from the conference. I still recall my takeaways from my first conference:
- There are more than 10 women in Computer Science and I can talk to them online
- Identify your strengths and don’t exaggerate your short-comings
- If you want a job and you can’t seem to find it, consider creating the role yourself. (and … it is easier to do this at a company you already work for but always a challenge)
- Speak up
Step 4: Find 2 people to keep in touch with
This is a great opportunity to connect with other technical women. I was honestly surprised at how often I run into these women again later in life. Take the opportunity now to find a couple people to keep in touch with, you never know when you’ll need advice on grad school, first jobs, or new jobs later on. If you came with a group of women, now’s your chance to reach outside that circle.
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I’m a blogger and a video blogger for Grace Hopper 2008. I’m excited to cover the conference, but I also want to add value for attendees. Grace Hopper has a lot of students and a lot of career-oriented sessions. So, I am planning to share my experiences, career path, and advice I’ve received through my blog. I’m still working on the titles, but here is my brainstorming so far:
Confessions of a Woman Developer
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I've been hearing SUCH good things about the WomenBuild program and just got the final details!
The WomenBuild program will launch in October and the events will be free for those registered for the Professional Developers Conference. The program is open to all registrants who have a passion for software development, especially women. The program consists of pre-conference workshop on October 26th during the afternoon, as well as a Women in Technology cocktail reception on Wednesday evening, October 29th. Space is limited , so register now – you will see it as an option when you register for PDC or contact the PDC team.
The WomenBuild program incorporates a hands-on process that draws on the power of creative thinking to shift group conversation from talking heads to focused minds. Each team will be run as a facilitated conversation with physical Lego brick constructions that will powerfully shift a group to more productive outcomes by accomplishing a deeper mining of the diverse wisdom within the group and a clearer shared conclusion on inspirational career paths for women in the technical field. Through this workshop, attendees will share real life experiences, discuss challenges, network & build on-going relationships with other women who are attending the PDC conference. Ultimately, attendees of this workshop will find ways to unleash their creative thinking and transform ideas into concrete concepts.
As a bonus, you will have the opportunity to meet senior executives within varying fields in Microsoft who will share their thoughts the power of software to empower women– from career choices to education to your daily routine and lifestyle, software can make a huge & positive difference in all walks of life. Be sure to join the Facebook WomenBuild group to be part of the WomenBuild community and be looped into future WomenBuild events as we spread the program across the nation!
I’m a blogger and I’m a PC. Following Seinfeld and Gates, Windows launches a user-driven ad campaign. People around the world are submitting videos and pictures about being a PC. If you’re a PC, submit your own video now. I’m a computer science student, and I’m a PC. Read more about the Life Without Walls campaign here.
Did you miss the Gates and Seinfeld series? Here are links to Video 1 and Video 2.
It’s official, PDC just announced that the pre-Beta bits will be distributed to PDC attendees. Watch a Windows 7 video here and keep an eye on the Windows 7 blog for all the latest updates.
Microsoft Professional Developer’s Conference (PDC) is the definitive Microsoft event for software developers and architects focused on the future of the Microsoft platform. PDC is almost here and bringing with it some great announcements including Windows 7 updates. In addition to distributing the pre-beta bits, PDC will hold 20+ sessions on Windows 7.
This week Microphone adds Popfly games to the Media Section. Everyone knows I’m addicted to Popfly and Facebook, and now I can feed all of these addictions in one place. Microphone is an online student community in Facebook where you can chit-chat with Microsoftees. Play games with me, Diane and others … Crayon Canyon here we come!
A week from today, we'll be in Keystone, Colorado at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing!! Are you ready to CONNECT?
The CONNECT project is supported by the National Science Foundation (under #CNS-0738102) and ACM's Committee on Women in Computing (ACM-W). When I registered for the conference, I gave them profile information and told them who I'd be interested in connecting with at the conference. Apparently all of us interesting in CONNECTing will have blue badges with bar codes that can be sent to share our info. What a GREAT way to network!
Any GHC ladies looking for a job or internship? Applying to grad schools and want to meet people from different programs? This sounds like a great tool!
We also signed up for a time slot at the Microsoft booth. Hilary and I will both be there right before Sponsor Night on Friday. We'll also be there at various other times as we're available. Can't wait!
I’m thinking of starting a mashup of the week post using Popfly. I’ve been creating a series of Vanity mashups:
My YouTube Channel in a Carousel Display
Springboard RSS in Chat Bubbles
