Critical Career Insights from Rajat Garg, a Former Microsoft India Employee

Background Doesn’t Dictate Success

One of Garg's key takeaways from his time at Microsoft was the diversity within the workforce. He highlighted how his colleagues came from a wide range of educational institutions, including prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), as well as lesser-known private colleges. What became clear to him was that academic background was not the key determinant of success. Instead, what mattered were two critical factors: technical expertise and dedication to continuous improvement.

He explained that professionals who excelled at Microsoft were those with strong proficiency in core skills, such as data structures, algorithms, and software development. Their educational credentials took a back seat to their ability to demonstrate these competencies and their drive to enhance them. Passion for the craft and proficiency, according to the former employee, were the true markers of success in the competitive world of technology.

There’s a Place for Everyone

The second significant lesson Garg shared revolved around the vast and ever-evolving nature of the tech industry. During his tenure at Microsoft, he was exposed to a wide array of fields ranging from traditional web and app development to cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), blockchain, and robotics.

He emphasised that while the tech industry offers boundless opportunities, it is neither necessary nor possible to master everything. Instead, he advised finding a specific area of interest and focusing on it deeply. “There’s space for everyone, but the trick is to find the area that excites you the most and double down on it,” Garg wrote. The post highlighted that understanding one’s niche and excelling within that specialised area is often more valuable than trying to grasp every facet of the technology landscape.