Becoming a Better Programmer: Why Scott Krieder Became a Microsoft Student Partner
This post is part of an ongoing series on preparing for a career in technology by the Microsoft Student Partner Program. For more career advice and to learn how you can get a jumpstart at your local university follow @MS_Student on Twitter and share your questions using the #WhyMSP hashtag.
Scott Krieder (@skrieder) is an MSP at the Illinois Institute of Technology and a 4th Year Computer Science PhD Candidate. We sat down to get some insight into his experience as a Microsoft Ambassador and what advice he has for the next wave of students that might be applying for the program now (deadline for applications is September 15th). Here’s what he had to say.
What inspired you to become an MSP?
I'm absolutely passionate about Technology. I jumped at the opportunity to work with Microsoft to help share that passion with students and faculty on my campus.
How would you describe your role as an MSP?
The MSP role is quite similar to my other job which is working as a Teaching Assistant on campus. I enjoyed organizing programming seminars and working with students to build applications for Windows Phone and Windows.
What are the benefits of being an MSP?
While you'll definitely acquire some cool swag working as an MSP, the most valuable benefit is the connections you make with Microsoft FTEs. My role as an MSP certainly helped me during my interview process by allowing me to brag about cool apps that I had built for the platform, and break the ice when meeting new people.
What is your favorite thing about being an MSP?
Working with my Technical Evangelist was one of my favorite things about being an MSP. Imagine that you can work on side hobby projects and when you get stuck with code or need to brainstorm an issue you can spend half an hour to an hour with an expert developer. This definitely helped me grow as a student and as a programmer.
What was your most memorable moment(s) as an MSP?
My most memorable event as an MSP was last year at a Microsoft HR Hackathon. Microsoft came in full force to my campus with prizes and recruiters to host a hackathon. Around 100 students camped out in one of our buildings working on apps competing for cool prizes. I absolutely loved the energy of the event and it was awesome interacting with all the students and Microsoft reps.
Are there any skills have you learned or improved upon since becoming an MSP?
Part of being an MSP includes building apps for the platform. I had some iOS and Android experience before I joined as an MSP but I really didn't have significant Windows Phone experience, I had built maybe 1 or 2 apps before I joined as an MSP. Since then I've learned a lot about Visual Studio, C#, and XAML as well as how to deploy apps to the Windows platform.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing in your MSP role for next year?
I can't wait for this school year to get started! As an MSP I'm excited to work with students at Illinois Tech on some really great software projects!
How do you think the MSP program helps you beyond college?
As a Microsoft Student Partner you will be treated by your peers as an expert on Microsoft technologies. This is an awesome opportunity because it will allow you to have numerous interactions with students and faculty on campus that you might not have met. But it can also be a challenge, because you might not always have the answer. My year as an MSP allowed me to appreciate the importance of asking questions, and understanding how users are interacting with technology.