In chapter 19 of my book Get Back Up I am now the Test Manager of Microsoft Publisher. In six short years I’ve progressed from configuring hardware in a lab to testing product software, then I became a test lead and now I was a test manager. Not bad for a guy without a college [...]
In chapter 18 of my book Get Back Up Suzie and I have left San Jose for Redmond, Washington, where I would be starting a new role as a test lead on Word, Microsoft’s word processing product. I had done all I could in the PowerPoint group to move up in the organization, but since [...]
In chapter 17 of my book Get Back Up I am now working at Microsoft. I started about as low in the company as I could, working in their test lab, where one of my jobs was to keep the lab clean. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter where you start as long as [...]
In chapter 16 of my book Get Back Up I find myself unemployed again, but this time with two children. I couldn’t afford to screw around and had to find a job fast. During my last couple of weeks at Ashton-Tate I had already started sending out my résumé and I already had a couple [...]
In chapter 15 of my book Get Back Up a lot changes for me and my wife. Monday, February 26 would be my first day as a full-time employee at Ashton-Tate and on Saturday, February 24th our first child, Nicholas, was born. During this time I was working two jobs. I was transitioning from a [...]
In chapter 14 of my book Get Back Up I decide it’s time to get that job in tech. After all, it was the main reason I came to California. The job at Wendy’s almost destroyed my back. I couldn’t go through that again. One weekend, I came across an ad for device testers. I didn’t [...]
We’re now in the seventh chapter of my book, Get Back Up, I could no longer work in the fast food industry due to the injuries I 'd suffered in a car accident, and so I was about to begin a new career as a life insurance salesman. I would learn that sales can be a [...]
It’s a fact that it takes a great product to help make a company successful, and it’s also true that products don’t get built without talented managers leading strong teams. If your goal is to become a successful manager or supervisor, you have to start by building a great team. 1. Assessing Your Needs Before [...]
If you listen to politicians from both major political parties these days, we’re all victims. They say that the system is rigged and the deck is stacked against us. They tell us that we don’t stand a chance of getting ahead in life or being truly successful unless (of course) we vote for them. Do [...]
If you’re in a management role at your company, hiring and terminating employees is an integral part of the job. Clearly one of these tasks is more enjoyable than the other, but as a manager, dealing with underperforming employees is very likely a problem you’ve had to face. An employee who was doing a good [...]
