A former Microsoft India employee, who is now running a company of his own, recently shared valuable lessons he learnt while working at the global tech giant. Taking to LinkedIn, Rajat Garg, who spent three years at Microsoft India, shared two “major lessons” that significantly shaped his career perspective. He reflected on two main themes – success being defined by skill and not background, and the importance of finding a niche in the vast tech landscape. “When I joined Microsoft, I had no idea how much it would shape my perspective on tech and career growth,” Mr Garg wrote.
In his post, the former Microsoft employee wrote that when he first joined the company, he was struck by the diversity of his colleagues. His team included alumni from prestigious institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the National Institute of Technology (NIT), as well as graduates from private colleges. Despite the varied educational backgrounds, he said that he noticed two traits that stood out among his peers: exceptional skills and unwavering dedication.
“No matter where you come from, these two things will take you far. It’s not about the name of your college, but the skills you bring and your dedication to improving them,” Mr Garg wrote.
Another lesson from his time at Microsoft was the immense scope of the tech industry. Mr Garg said that he was amazed by the variety of fields being explored within the firm, ranging from web and app development to emerging areas like artificial intelligence (AI), virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), blockchain, robotics, hardware and data analytics.
“The tech industry is HUGE. There’s space for everyone, but the trick is to find the area that excites you the most and double down on it. You don’t have to know everything – you just need to find your niche and go all in,” Mr Garg said.
The former Microsoft employee shared the post just a few days back. Since then, it has accumulated several reactions.
LinkedIn is a job search platform. Apart from looking for opportunities, people also use the platform to share their insights on trending topics, connect with like-minded people, or just share their personal experiences.
Last month, a former Microsoft employee shared how getting fired from the IT company was a “blessing in disguise”. In a LinkedIn post, Kapil Kulshreshtha shared that when he was fired in 2005 from his role as a senior program manager at Microsoft, he was angry and confused. However, he admitted that getting sacked from Microsoft was a “turning point” in life as three weeks later he bagged a job in Sydney which was more aligned with what he liked.
