Rose Kwok, BBA 2003
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Program Manager, Microsoft
How many UT students or alumni do you know that have had the opportunity to meet the richest man in the world face-to-face? Rose Kwok met Bill Gates during her first day of orientation when she joined Microsoft after graduating from UT—a perfect capstone to a lifelong interest in technology. Rose grew up in a house that “always had the newest gadgets, from a wooden, homemade Apple ‘computer’ to a primitive CD-ROM for Bookshelf ‘92 to a brick-like cell phone.” She remembers playing computer games and writing simple command lines as a kid. However, much to her own surprise, she came to UT considering a major in Accounting. After one semester of accounting coursework, Rose realized that her passion was not in crunching numbers, but in solving problems for real-life scenarios. In college, she found herself spending a lot of time creating web pages and developing PowerPoint presentations for extracurricular activities. Rose also found that she enjoyed programming in MIS 304, “especially when a program I had completely written myself compiles.”
Rose began her career at Microsoft with an internship her senior year. She was presented with many challenging and exciting opportunities that year, and discovered that she loved the casual yet fast-paced environment. “I knew after completing my internship that I wanted to go back to Microsoft full time. In fact, they were the only company I interviewed with!” Rose sees Microsoft as a company where she can grow her career, learning about the different businesses that run a company while broadening her skills at the same time. She finds her job rewarding because the work she does “eventually becomes incorporated into a product, and our customers are empowered by our products.”
Rose credits her internship and MIS coursework in preparing her to join the Microsoft group that focuses on application security and privacy, even though she did not have prior knowledge in that area. “I really believe that my MIS experience prepared me with a basic understanding of technology so that I was able to quickly learn about the topics to become successful in my jobs. The technical balance with the business side also helps me with my current job of managing projects and enterprise strategic processes in a technical world.” Rose’s favorite class was MIS 374 with Eleanor Jordan, where she had the chance to apply her skills to help clients develop solutions that would allow them to be more efficient in what they do. “The best part was running and seeing that project through from start to finish – I love the feeling of accomplishing something.”
What advice does Rose have for current MIS students and alumni? (1) You don’t have to be a programmer after you graduate. I’ve had different jobs since I’ve graduated and I’ve been able to pursue what I want to do with my career. The possibilities are endless; and you’ll be prepared for them. (2) Having to work in groups and perhaps dealing with team members will be a good preparation to the real world. You’ll have to work with people from different teams, different job functions, and even different companies in your job. (3) Technical skills are great, but soft skills are a must! It’s important to have a sound technical background as MIS majors, but what’s more important are communication, interpersonal, and problem solving skills. As much as I think my technical knowledge helped me obtain the job I have now, knowing how to collaborate, how to communicate effectively, and how to deal with ambiguities are just as valuable (if not more). Fortunately, those are skills you will gain as MIS majors.
If she were hiring for her current position, Rose would look for graduates that are able to function in a team setting, know how to get their ideas across, and someone who is self-motivated and has an interest in self-development. Another qualification would be leadership positions in extracurricular activities, experience that demonstrates candidates’ ability to lead a project effectively.
When she isn’t busy developing new ways to protect customers’ privacy, Rose is active with her church fellowship for career singles and with volunteering for the American Red Cross. Those project management skills she developed in college also allow her to find time to travel, go hiking, learn to cook, watch movies and work out.
