Similar to the benefits of being too rich or too thing, you should not underestimate the power of being “over educated and over certified”. Especially when it comes to technology. Not even an MBA from a top-tier school will save you these days. Trust me, I know. However, a colleague of mine who runs a technology training center in NYC shared a great story with me yesterday. One of his students who had gotten laid off back in January (from Microsoft) came to his training center where she registered for training classes and got certified. One month later, she got hired back because of the the education and certification she received. Check out her story at http://www.netcominfo.com/aboutnetcom/video_testimonials/part1/ The lesson for ALL of us – there’s always room for personal growth and self-improvement. Some of my favorite colleagues who are passionate about offering superior technology training include: www.TrainSignalTraining.com; www.NetcomInfo.com; www.SQLSoft.com; www.Quickstart, to name a few. So if you’ve got some time on your hands, why not learn more about some of the latest and great new technologies out there. If you can’t afford the training, check out a TechNet Plus subscription at www.microsoft.com/technetplus which gives you access to 70+ commercial Microsoft for eval purposes with no time or feature limits (and you get 12 eLearning courses/year).
A “Pink Slip” is just part of the journey… July 30, 2009
There’s never a dull minute for a Microsoft v- marketing maven like me. Rumor has it 5,000 of us were “pinked” in July. Honestly, it sucked being caught in the middle of an unavoidable reorg and budget crisis. I loved working on the US BMO DPE TAM team, managing my programs and, most of all, working for a brilliant manager. I did exit with the extreme satisfaction of exceeding my targets, but that alone was not enough to save me. Yet this journey showed me that ”pink” is not necessarily such a bad color. Working for my team gave me a glimpse inside the real Microsoft–the one filled with bright, passionate people who go the extra mile because they truly believe in the technology and the programs they support. The “big business” of it all is just a blip. (Oh yeah– and they really do take care of their own. I’m back working on FY10 community Win7 launch and CloudCamp projects. Hallelujah!)
