Random reflections after two weeks of being a new hire straight out of ‘college’ PM at Microsoft:

• Things will start slowly even if everyone else is super busy
• Eating your own dogfood is good but it doesn’t mean it tastes good
• Find your peers and start sitting in on their meetings
• Schedule short one on one’s with a broad range of people in your division as well as all the people you’ll be interacting with on a daily basis.
• There is a surprising number of Waterloo grads here
• The benefits are great
• You don’t really need a SSN straight away. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do anything until I had one but I was able to get a cellphone, open a bank account, get a credit card,.. without one
• Get up to speed with all the potential tools you will be using as soon as possible
• The intranet is a vast resource though I wish there was more
• I wish the personnel directory had everyone’s photo (Amazon has a nice HR org tool with photos and all)
• Mailing lists are your friends.
• In two weeks only one MS person has called me on the phone
• Voicemails show up as emails. Why can’t my cell phone work like this??
• You’re free to leave a meeting if your issue has been addressed
• Cell phones do not work in our part of the building
• It’s okay to watch TV at work
• Everyone really is 31.2 just like from Microserfs
• Microsoft cares about saving money. They have these turn off your unnecessary equipment posters in the elevators.
• Everyone is very friendly. I’ve already been invited out mountain biking and sailing
• I’ve seen no evidence of Bill Gates worship. I don’t think anyone has even mentioned him.
• Having an office mate is great (whether he feels that way is another question). He’s a great resource and is teaching me lots of bad habits and filling me in with the backstory.

If you have questions about me moving to Seattle/working for the devil maybe I have answers so go crazy in the comments.