[Welcome to I Want Her Job's Women at Microsoft Week! Today's article is the third in a series of five that will help you find out what it's like — and how you can — land your dream job at one of the biggest companies changing the face of business.]
Remember the days when you rushed home from school, threw your backpack on the floor, then clicked “connect” on your computer so you could get back to your friends? The beeps, tones and screeching, tinny noises of a dial-up Internet connection were truly your entry to another world.
Kara Fong knew those sounds well. Her parents suggested that because she was spending so much time on the computer, perhaps she should also spend some of that time figuring out how the computer worked.
Enter Kara’s first introduction to her current employer, Microsoft, through its DigiGirlz program. DigiGirlz, a Microsoft YouthSpark program, gives high school girls the opportunity to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees and participate in hands-on computer and technology workshops. For Kara, a weeklong opportunity to attend the program during summer 2005 threw the doors of her future wide open, cementing her desire to work in tech.
Now, as a University of Washington graduate, Kara’s one of Microsoft’s first hires out of its DigiGirlz program. Kara, who remained active in the program as a high school intern, college intern and volunteer, now works as a program manager at Microsoft on its APEX (Apple Platform Experiences) team, making sure the experience Apple users have with Microsoft software on their devices is seamless and enjoyable.