Gunjan Madaan’s Post

As summer comes to an end, I’m thrilled to announce the completion of my 12-week Explore Internship with Microsoft! This experience has been one of immense growth, problem-solving, and collaboration, and I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with Microsoft. I want to give a big thank you to all the members of the AMPX team, my manager Jeremiah Kemper, and my mentor Mohit Singla for welcoming me with open arms and supporting my ideas. Their encouragement was key to meeting and exceeding not only my internship priorities but my stretch goals as well! The highlight of my journey was presenting my project to the entire Microsoft MXP team, including Ali Akgun, CVP of MXP. It was a moment of great pride and accomplishment, and it would not have been possible without the teamwork and coordination of my intern pod: Journei Ferguson and Abigiya Mesfin. As I reflect on my internship, I’d like to share a few key lessons I’ve learned: 1. Problems are opportunities. Each challenge I encountered turned into one of the most innovative aspects of my project, thanks to guidance and fresh perspectives from my team. 🚀 2. Know when to let go. It’s easy to get attached to ideas, but not every idea is a necessary solution to a problem. Letting go of some ideas freed me to focus on the most impactful ones, driving real productivity. ⏳ 3. Sometimes you have to run before you walk. Overthinking can be paralyzing with so many new opportunities. Jumping in headfirst allowed me to stay productive and kept ideas from slipping through the cracks. 🏃♀️ 4. You get out what you put in. Setting high-level goals for growth, both professionally and personally, helped me stay focused and aligned my efforts with what I’m truly passionate about. 📈 I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to explore both PM and SWE roles through this internship. For anyone interested in technology but unsure whether to pursue software engineering or product management, I highly recommend the Microsoft Explore program!

A Leap of Faith: Cracking Offcampus Microsoft Internship Imagine being a third year student, miles away from the glitz and glamour of the tech giants, yet nurturing a dream to make it big in the IT industry. Sounds challenging, right? But what if I told you that not only did someone dare to dream this, but also turned it into reality? 🎥 In my latest video, I bring you the awe-inspiring journey of a young aspirant Ruma Karn from my alma mater, BIT Sindri. She didn't let her background define her future. She took on the challenge head-on and secured a 2-month internship at none other than Microsoft! Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/g9JMrNyd Here’s a sneak peek into the topics we covered: ✅Her Journey: How she embarked on this path and the steps she took to reach her goal. ✅Challenges Faced: The obstacles she encountered and how she overcame them. ✅Interview Preparation: Her unique approach to preparing for the Microsoft interview. ✅Interview Rounds: A detailed walkthrough of the interview process at Microsoft. ✅Internship Learnings: Key takeaways and skills she gained during her internship. ✅Perspective Shift: How her views about software engineers changed after joining the IT industry. This video is not just about one person's success story. It's about every student who dares to dream big, every individual who refuses to be defined by their circumstances, and every aspirant who is ready to put in the work to turn their dreams into reality. Don't miss out on this motivational journey and let's spread the word to inspire countless others on their path to success! #MicrosoftIntern #TechJourney #OvercomingChallenges #InterviewTips #InternshipExperience #SoftwareEngineering

✨ Dream it. Plan it. Achieve it. ✨ In December 2022, I made a tough choice—leaving my comfort zone and shifting from a shared 6-bed room to a 1-bed one. It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to friends, but I knew it was necessary to focus on my goals. On 15th February 2023, I pasted this poster on my wall. A small but powerful reminder to stay consistent and chase my dream. Every day that followed, I crossed off tasks, pushed myself, and visualized this moment. And on 26th August 2023, it all became real—I received my internship offer from Microsoft . This journey wasn’t just about an offer. It was about learning discipline, making sacrifices, and believing that dreams demand action. What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? To anyone reading this: Set your goals. Chase them with all you’ve got. Even when it’s hard, even when you're alone—it’s worth it. #DreamBig #Microsoft #Journey #Internship #Discipline #GrowthMindset

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 It all began during my second semester of MCA at NITK, when I came across an incredible off-campus opportunity: the Microsoft Engage Mentorship Program, designed to secure internship at Microsoft. 🔷𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: As I got to know about this program through my seniors, I updated my resume, highlighting my projects and skills and submitted the application. To my surprise and delight, my resume got shortlisted for the program. 🔷𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 1 : It consisted of 10 MCQ questions to be solved in 30 minutes. There were multiple question sets and scores were normalized accordingly. Mainly there were some Multiple Choice Questions based on Computer Science and DSA – Stack, Queue, Trees, Sorting, Binary Search, Priority Queues, etc. 🔷𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 2 : The second assessment was a mix of coding, aptitude, and puzzle questions. We were required to provide a typed explanation for our answers. 🔷𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦: After clearing both assessments, I was selected for a month-long mentorship program. The selected candidates were tasked with building a project based on given topics, with guidance from a Microsoft mentor. I chose to work on a project using face recognition. At the end of the month, I submitted the video explanation of my project and the code files. Based on the performance in the project building, and mentor feedback, people got: 🔹Direct SWE internship at Microsoft. 🔹Interview opportunity for SWE intern role. 🔹No internship/interview opportunity. 🔷𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞: I'll be honest, I felt like my peers were doing better projects than me, and I doubted if I'd even get an interview mail. But then, a month after submitting our projects, I received an email from Microsoft. To my disbelief, I had been offered a Direct SWE internship! It was like a dream come true, something I never thought possible. Some candidates had interviews revolving around DSA, projects and managerial questions. As I reflect on this journey, I feel grateful for the opportunities that have come my way. Landing an internship at Microsoft has been a milestone I'll always cherish. Stay tuned for more updates on my resume, projects, and experiences! Make sure to follow Swati Agarwal for additional insights. #microsoft #nitk #internship #offcampus #mca

"Thrilled to showcase my virtual internship tenure with Google for Developers! From Jan 24 - Mar 24, I contributed to meaningful projects while honing essential skills. Join me in commemorating this pivotal experience! #GoogleInternship #ProfessionalGrowth #TechInnovation 📸 #AICTEinternship #AICTE #EduSkills #EduSkillsFoundation #AICTE_EduSkills_Internship #eduskillsinternship "

Ever felt like your dream job was just a little too far away? 🌟 Here’s my story: From struggling with DSA problems to landing my dream job at Microsoft. 🚀 It all boiled down to two things: 1. Determination 🎯 to not just settle, and 2. Consistency 🔄, tackling one DSA problem daily amidst internships and open-source projects. Facing hurdles in learning ? You’re not alone. Let’s share our strategies and grow together. #CareerGoals #TechLife #LearningJourney #StayMotivated 💼👩💻

Why always people share/see 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 on Linkedin? Be Real with your 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 as well. Agree? - I failed to get into IIT. - I failed to maintain a 9.5+ CGPA. 📉 - I failed to crack the Google internship yet. - I failed to win 4 out of 6 hackathons. 🏆 - I failed to win Gold in sports. But 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 of these failures have let me down. Because My Mom always say, " Give your best, Leave the Rest. " I’ve told myself that my 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 are 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 to my 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 📚 That’s how I’ve managed to crack 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 at top product-based companies. Success isn’t about the number of wins—it’s about the 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 you gather along the way. 💯 Share your 𝗣𝗢𝗩 in comments 💬 ➡️ For more connect with Dheeraj Sharma 𝐎𝐧 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 - ♾️ 𝐭𝐨 + ♾️ 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 👨💻 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝. #Internship #Success #Software #journey #hardwork #patience

Going to mentor an SWE intern this summer at Microsoft. Grateful. Inspired. Excited! 🔥 Looking back at the crazy summer of 2020, when I was a part of the 1st batch of virtual interns at Microsoft (thanks to Covid)... To today, where I'm gearing up to mentor my 5th intern over the course of 3 years at Microsoft...it does feel surreal. Being on both sides has taught me a bunch of valuable skills... Here are my 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬, to help you make the most of your internship this summer: ✅ 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞! Don't just chat with your manager and mentor. Talk to everyone – your team, other teams, anyone! You'll gain a wider view of the work and potential opportunities. ✅ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨-𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬: You're all in this together! Build friendships and share experiences – it'll make the internship even more awesome (and who knows, maybe future colleagues?). ✅ 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝: Fresh perspectives are gold. Don't be shy to share your thoughts & ideas regarding projects. We value your unique viewpoint. ✅ 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐲! Ask questions, tons of them! There's no such thing as a silly question when you're learning. ✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐔𝐩! Take ownership, show initiative, and be accountable. This is YOUR chance to shine! ✨ Do share your experiences & tips if you're also doing an internship or been a mentor before. PS: Yes, your manager & mentor (in fact, the whole team) want you to get that PPO. You just need to show curiosity, put in that hard work, and do due diligence. #microsoft #intern #microsoftlife #mentor #careerguidance

Thank you Ryan Bircham for your intro to full stack development workshop last night. 💥 100+ super engaged students 🤯 Epic 40 minute Q&A session Thank you for helping students understand the ins and outs of full stack, tips for projects, and getting ready for recruitment and internships. #digitalskills #nztech😍

I’ve noticed a growing trend of early college students paying for mentorship from interns and early-career professionals. I strongly advise against this. While these mentors may offer guidance, they can’t guarantee you an internship. There are countless free resources available that can be just as, if not more, effective in helping you navigate your career path. Platforms like YouTube, FreeCodeCamp, your university’s career resources, professors, and network connections are invaluable. Join communities that align with your interests, and for tech students of color, consider checking out ColorStack Be wary of anyone offering subscription services that promise to secure you an internship. Often, these services recycle freely available content. If you do decide to invest in a service, ensure that the person offering it has significant, full-time industry experience in your chosen field. Software engineering and other tech careers are tough. Seeking paid advice from someone who just started their full-time career might not provide the depth you need. This isn’t a knock on them, but experience matters.