Micro Manager
Phillip Cross
College of Information Science and Technology
Imagine graduating from college with a job at one of the most innovative, dynamic corporations in the world. Your job won’t involve sorting mail while you struggle to prove your worth on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder. No, your first business card will read “Program Manager,” and your primary job responsibility will be to explore ways of making that global business powerhouse even more effective and successful.
This fantastic scenario pretty much describes the real-life situation of Phillip Cross, a senior Information Systems Technology major at Drexel. His first job upon graduation in May will be as Program Manager in Micro-soft’s Business Intelligence Center of Excellence in Redmond, Washington.
Phillip didn’t land his job at Microsoft with a sky-high GPA or a riveting cover letter. He landed it by proving himself on the job at Micro-soft in a co-op experience.
“For employers, co-op is a great way to try out potential employees to see if they’re a good fit for the company,” confirms Peter Franks. “After six months of working, students are pre-tested, pre-trained and a very low risk. There’s a surety and a strong bond right from the beginning.”
Phillip’s experience is almost a textbook case of the power of Drexel’s co-operative education. In 2003 Phillip entered the five-year program in IST at Drexel. His first co-op was with Lincoln Financial Distributors, an insurance and investment giant.
“My original thought was to go into software engineering and programming, but that involves a lot of working solo. I quickly learned that I really liked working with people. I was very lucky at Lincoln because my manager became my mentor and he helped me focus on my strengths and to challenge myself. My first job was in IT support, working with financial salespeople who are notoriously demanding, intense and challenging. I really liked that and found the work compelling, even though occasionally it tested my patience. When I left, Lincoln offered me part-time work doing application development close to campus, which was great.”
Phillip’s co-op experience revealed to him that he didn’t just want to excel in programming; he had skills in working with people as well. He refined his IST major to include a concentration in Database Administra-tion and Human & Computer Interaction, with a minor in Business.
“Co-op is a journey of discovery for our students,” Franks concurs. “They’ll learn pretty quickly whether they’re in the right major and can test out different aspects of a career path: whether they want to work for a big firm, small firm or global corporation; in a big city or smaller market; and whether they prefer to do research or work in management. There’s nothing like experiencing things firsthand to make the lights go on and reveal where your talents lie.”
In his second round of co-op during his junior year, Lincoln Financial again offered Phillip a job. This time, his mentor/manager gave Phillip far more responsibility to create programs providing salespeople and consultants with the critical data they needed to do their jobs more effectively. He was also involved in major planning initiatives, sales force entertainment and project management.
For his third co-op Phillip decided to take a new opportunity. He moved across the country to Redmond, Washington, and began work as a Program Manager in IT Organization in the Business Intelligence Center of Excellence (BICE) at Microsoft. The responsibilities of the job were even more complex than the job title.
“BICE’s mission is to gather information from within Microsoft, consolidate it and leverage that knowledge so the company can better understand what’s going on internally and make informed decisions to improve operations,” Phillip explains.
This is how a technology company uses technology to vault itself into the business stratosphere. Phillip was an integral part of the BICE team, working with four teams onshore (domestically) and offshore ( India and China ). Phillip’s appreciation for the process was profound.
“Microsoft does a fabulous job with employee development,” he explains. “When they hire interns, they throw you right in and treat you like a real employee. They’ll support you, give you advice and help you out, but you’ll be expected to function as a full employee — and that was really exciting and fulfilling.”
Clearly Microsoft understands the value of hiring Drexel students: there were 12 others working co-op at Microsoft with Phillip. Beyond work, the company also managed to offer the students the pleasure of exploring a new environment.
“Washington is really beautiful and the company went out of its way to bring us together and show us everything Seattle has to offer. Microsoft does stress a good work/life balance, so even though you’re working really hard, there’s a social aspect to it which is great.”
At the end of his co-op, Phillip was offered a full-time job as Program Manager in BICE and he decided to take the offer. “My mom isn’t too happy about me being on the other side of the continent, but I want to be where I can go in and contribute the most. I love Philly and I have nothing but good things to say about my time here; my time at Drexel prepared me to do this. The opportunities that have come about because of the co-op program have been extraordinary.”
As for the Drexel students following in his footsteps, he has this to say: “I was lucky to find a great mentor at Lincoln who showed me how to figure out what I wanted to do. The classroom never would have cleared that up for me; I had to experience it on the job. In the end, you have to do what you love. Co-op helps you to find you what that is — then it’s up to you to go out and be great at something!”
