ENTER
TO WIN
A copy of George A.
Santino’s “Get Back Up”
book – an inspiring and
insightful look at George’s
life from tough times
through to partnership at
Microsoft.
Email us to enter:
[email protected]
Once again it didn’t matter to me that I had to start at
the bottom or that I had to prove myself yet again. These
people didn’t know me. They wanted me to show them
what I could do, and that was fine with me. I have no
problem demonstrating my ability or a skill before I get the
opportunity. In truth, I found that at Microsoft the easiest
way to get a new position was to start doing the job before
I officially had it.
While I worked in the lab I started doing some software
testing. When a software tester position opened up, I got the
job. While in that role I began to take on various leadership
tasks, and when they needed a new software testing lead I
was chosen for that job. I continued this process during my
entire twenty-year career at Microsoft, eventually advancing
all the way to Partner Engineering Manager before I retired
in 2012.
Obviously I’m not saying you should take the first job
that comes along, or not attempt to start higher up in the
organization any more than I think a driver shouldn’t try
to win the pole position in a race. If you know what you
want and you have the skills to do it then you should go
for it. Just don’t be afraid to take what you might consider a
lesser position or less pay if there is an opportunity to prove
yourself and move up in the company.
This is the way I spent my career, whether it was working
as a cleanup boy at Burger Chef for 65 cents an hour before
later becoming the manager of that store, or working as an
entry level lab engineer and retiring twenty years later as a
partner. I was always willing to start at the back of the pack.
As long as I was in the race I had a chance to win. Just like
Louis Meyer, who won the Indy 500 in 1936 even though he
started in 28th place, or the twenty-nine other drivers who
started in tenth place or lower but still went on to win the
race, it doesn’t matter where you start as long as you start.•
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