Microsoft Chinese lecturer talk about software career: Kung Fu outside

From: Computer World

There are nearly a thousand Chinese people working at Microsoft. During the Microsoft teched Technology Education Conference, 16 of them returned to Beijing as lecturers. They bring the latest developments in Microsoft software technology to their audience, and their software career is also a fortune. During the conference, the reporter interviewed five lecturers while giving lectures.

Miscellaneous

"The growth of people is actually a pyramid. The more solid and broad your foundation is, the higher the tower point will be ." Chen Shuo, software design and testing engineer of Microsoft Server Management Department, is a typical "Miscellaneous ". I studied at the department of Earth physics at Peking University. After graduation, I was sent to the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Emy of sciences. Then I received a full scholarship from Princeton University and received a master's degree in oceanic science, finally, I got a master's degree in business at Texas A & M University. Of course, she never forgot her "Sideline"-computer. She chose a considerable number of computer courses at Peking University; at Princeton University's Oceanic laboratory, we used computer simulations to study climate issues such as the greenhouse effect and El Ni. At that time, we used Cray (mainframe) and Unix servers. When I was studying at Texas A & M University, the part-time job is still to maintain a computer lab with hundreds of students in the school.

At the age of 13, my parents came to the US to celebrate the day. I studied at the Department of Electrical and computer engineering at the University of Minnesota and majored in international enterprise management. Now I am a Microsoft Windows. net project manager, but he still takes his spare time to earn a master's degree in technology management from Columbia University. As a project manager, Yan zhiqing has already found a good job at Microsoft. Why should he study?

"The project manager is not a senior manager of Microsoft, but it is the decision maker and main designer of all Microsoft products and plays an important role in the direction of Microsoft products. The decision-making of Microsoft products comes from the bottom. The project manager should not only determine the functions, customer groups, development directions, and development costs of the software products, we also need to work with partners and major customers to discuss market strategies with the marketing department. In a sense, project managers, especially project managers in core departments, are behind-the-scenes decision makers of Microsoft ." Tang chaohui, the Business Intelligence Project Manager of Microsoft SQL Server, gave the reason for Yan zhiqing's continued learning.

"It is developing very fast, and every day it is a new thing. In the end, we are better at who learns faster and who master faster. In fact, they are better at what they do. If you learn more, the contact surface will be wide, and the ways of thinking will also be diversified. In the end, these will be transformed into one's ability ." Chen Shuo's advantages of "Miscellaneous": "During Microsoft's interview, I don't care if you have graduated from computer science or have too many students and how many degrees have you obtained. Microsoft is focusing on your potential ."

Think more widely

"ComputerProgramA good compilation is often only a very small and specific part of the entire software product. When you are too stuck in programming details, you will lack the understanding of the entire product, especially the lack of understanding of the market. My current work can be oriented to the world. I understand how Microsoft products are used, how customers respond, and how Microsoft manages projects internally, this knowledge can be used in my work. Therefore, there will be more ways to think about and handle problems ."

Chen Shuo believes that the consulting experience at Microsoft is of great benefit to her current work.

During the interview, reporters often heard that testing the way of thinking is also an important part of Microsoft's interview. During the interview, Microsoft will have some questions that have almost no solution. The purpose is to look at the way you think and analyze the questions. At this time, divergent thinking will help candidates.

Chen Shuo explained the necessity of Qin Si and Guang Si with her study abroad experience: "However, Chinese students are not enough to ask questions. I am a little timid. I have overcome this problem for a long time. Without asking questions, the professor will think you have no idea. As a matter of fact, many American students raise very general questions. As long as you move your mind slightly, it will be more advanced than they do. It is a little different. You need to keep your eyes open at all times because it changes too quickly ."

Wider

"How can software make money ?" Liu jinhao, a fluid mechanics expert, cannot understand this problem when he bought a speech product at Beijing SIDA, because his customers always told him: "I spent all my money on your hardware. Copy me your software." To solve this problem, he transferred to the United States for a master's degree in computer science.

After graduating in 1992, Liu jinhao found a small company with more than 30 people at Princeton University and wrote DB2 programs on ibm390. Even if he wrote a document that only a few people read, his boss would correct the spelling mistake. He learned a strict and serious work attitude from the older generation of programmers in the United States, it also deepened its understanding of technology and product quality. Taking advantage of the company's opportunity to migrate to the customer/server architecture, he switched to Oracle and Sybase. Three years later, he worked as an independent consultant in an insurance company. In 1997, Microsoft called and came to the Microsoft SQL department with curiosity about what Microsoft looked like. In the past five years, he first performed data queries and is now interested in XML. Driven by interest, Liu jinhao gradually enriched his knowledge structure and experience.

Hu Xue's reading at Tsinghua radio is not a "score ". "Tsinghua encouraged students not only to study professionally, but also to manage and run companies ." As a school eugenics, Hu Xue received special preferential treatment and was guided by the head of the Department (only one undergraduate in a department enjoyed this treatment, followed by Li Jin. Comrade Li Jin is the young man whose head is touched with love and pity when he says that "the computer is going to start from the doll. Li Jin went to the United States after receiving the best doctoral thesis award from Tsinghua University, and finally to the Microsoft Asia Research Institute. He and his fellow students share the same path. From one aspect, they can also see that Microsoft attaches great importance to and attracts talents ); at the time, at the recommendation of principal Zhang Xiaowen, Hu Xue created an independent branch under Tsinghua Technology Development Corporation, the predecessor of Tsinghua Ziguang, and served as the general manager and legal representative. Three years later, the company ranks second in revenue.

In fact, the consulting work that Hu Xue has been engaged in for many years also shows the necessity for "wide". Without many years of technical and industrial experience, Microsoft will not invite him as a consultant.

Tang chaohui Expressed another idea: "in the United States, Job hopping is not always popular. One advantage of Microsoft's attention graph is that there are not many companies around it, so everyone can only focus on Microsoft's work. In China, including in Europe, programmers do not have a high position, but Microsoft does not. Some programmers in Microsoft have higher salaries than managers. He liked the job and did a good job. Microsoft will make programmers feel the value of their work in terms of salary and level ."

More

"In foreign countries, the ability to express is poor. Even if the technology is good, it cannot do high-level work. I think this is a disadvantage for Chinese people ." In the interview, several lecturers expressed similar opinions.

An international student who once won the Olympic gold medal in mathematics in China has a high IQ and strong technical skills. However, unfortunately, there is a great lack of expression ability, at present, Microsoft is only engaged in testing, which is quite a disadvantage. "If he has strong expressiveness, he can do more important work ." Tang chaohui's words of pity also show great expectations.

Hu Xue also has deep experience in this regard. He said: "I have more than 30 classmates in Tsinghua, half of whom have come to the United States. Only one of me has been transferred as a consultant, and the other are still working on chip design, or work related to the chip." He believes that this has something to do with his stay in New York and other students in Silicon Valley since he arrived in the United States. In addition to being smart and diligent, without good communication and expression skills, he cannot complete major changes in his career, because communication and expression are essential qualities for consulting. "I think it is very important to enter the American circle. I have made some deliberate efforts in this regard to make friends with Americans ." Hu Xue added.

Being humble is undoubtedly a virtue, and being shy seems to be a bad character. But people cannot be humble or shy and unwilling or unable to express themselves. This is especially important for programmers who are working around the clock and working hard. In fact, they are just right to express themselves, it is to let the enterprise know your capabilities. This is also a good affirmation of your difficult programmer's career. It is totally different from the nonsense.