• People are paying between $375-$500/month for a room in Waterloo. They have the feeling rents were levelling off.
• Everyone lamented the fact that UWStudent has been lacking for the last year. It's sad to see it go!
• Apparently there was some WPIRG referendum with lots of whacko student politics.
• Seattle weather. What's up with this spring? It rains one minute and is sunny the next.
• Hours. Lots asked how much I work. Anywhere from 5-12 hours a day. Today I was only in the office for 6 hours, but when I got home I then sat on the couch, listened to music, and worked on clearing out my inbox. Other days, I'm at the office for 12 hours. It all depends where you are in the product cycle.
• You can't escape Microsoft's presence in Seattle. It's everywhere.

Some of the things they wanted to know from me were:

What's it like working for a big company like Microsoft as opposed to the very small startups that was at previously?

Some of the big advantages I see to working at Microsoft, and the reason I chose to work here are after graduation are:

• Regular paycheck. No need to worry about the company's cash flow and whether or not they're going to make payroll every two weeks.
• Training. Yes, it's great to learn lessons first hand and on job, and Microsoft certainly affords you the opportunity to do so. However, the big benefit of working for a company like Microsoft is that they have a formalized process for transferring knowledge and best practices from company experts to those wanting to learn.
• While the senior management gets all the press, it's great that individual contributors can start blogs and gain their own cult following. I'm sure no one would read my blog but because I work at Microsoft I have instant credibility whether I deserve it or not.
• Seattle's a great city. Hockey, sailing, biking, wakeboarding,... What can't you do in Seattle?
• We ship software. The product I work on ships a version every year; I love that.

What's the settle in period like?

I cautioned people that it takes a while to get settled in. I know for myself that it took about eight months before I really felt comfortable. But now that I've settled in I'm working on great features and having a fun time doing so.

And hey, if you're a Waterloo student being flown down to interview they'll offer to take you out to dinner. Alums then get an email seeing if we want to take you out to dinner. If you're a blog reader, by all means email and I'll be sure to respond to your dinner request :).
12:46:21 AM   []