What a Senior Technical Program Manager at Microsoft Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Tech Industry
Kartik, a Senior Technical Program Manager at Microsoft, emphasizes the critical importance of thoroughly assessing a manager's "personality, capability, and support" before accepting a role, highlighting the significant impact a manager has on job satisfaction and overall happiness, noting the stark difference between "truly awful managers" and "amazing managers" in their own career.
Project Management, Leadership, Career Development, Manager-Employee Dynamics, Job Search Strategies
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kartik Atyam
Senior Technical Program Manager
Microsoft
UCLA
UC Berkeley
Engineering - Civil
Architecture, Construction & Design, Technology
Real Estate
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Understanding the importance of manager-employee relationships is crucial for career satisfaction.
2. Thoroughly researching and assessing potential managers before accepting a role is highly recommended.
3. A good manager can significantly impact happiness and success in a role, while a bad manager can have the opposite effect.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
It's something I knew, but I didn't know how to test for before. The manner your manager has is very important. Do anything and everything you can to understand their personality, capability, and the support they would provide.
I've had truly awful managers and amazing managers in my career. There's a stark difference in how happy you are in that role and in life, depending on which type of manager you have.
So, I think one thing I am trying to institute is when I look for a new role, to do a deep dive and a lot of character assessment of who the manager is. This is in order to figure out if it's worth investing in for the next two to three years.