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Entrepreneurship can begin at home - Gracey C. Wilson
Manage episode 371157511 series 3493194
Hi everyone, this is episode 5 on season 2 of the EITF project, and for this episode, we have a very interesting guest. Charu and I talk to Gracey Wilson from Microsoft in this episode. Why Gracey? Well, I was in the audience, when Gracey gave a speech at the women in tech conference at Boston, and it got me thinking. She had some very interesting things to say. But before we get into that, Charu and I will now introduce her.
Gracey started her career, in a very unconventional way. She started a company right off the bat, called Critter sitters, a pet sitting company which showed increasing revenue with 30 consecutive months! What a fun way to start a career!
Gracey says in the interview that the next phase of her career, which included a lot of internships in companies like GE, Pinch, women without borders, and eventually Microsoft were very interesting and promises that internships teach you a lot about an eventual full time career. She is a big advocate of internships.
She is now a full time software engineer at Microsoft.
One of the common trends in her career journey is that she is always looking to solve the issues that she sees around her, whether or not the issue falls within her field of study. It’s an admirable trait that she has been able to take her ventures towards this end, to great heights. Speaking of ventures, Gracey coins the term “entrepreneurship can begin at home” in her interview, and a testament to that is the early in career group that she helped create in Microsoft. Having been one of the employees who started out her career in Microsoft during the pandemic, she found a way to help individuals connect, get to know each other, and create group events for them as well.
The early in career group was recognized and funded by Microsoft for the great initiative that it was. At EITF, we were lucky to talk to the group last year. You will notice in Gracey's EITF interview, that a lot of her answers encourage our audience to take initiative without having the fear of the environment that they are in. In todays world where every employee is trying to do their best to stay on top of their game given the economic condition, this can help set you apart.
A very encouraging interview and a lot to learn, especially for folks who are early in their careers. We hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to leave us your comments! Follow us on our social media platforms: https://linktr.ee/eitfproject?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=d33c3044-d6c1-415b-9696-28d1eb5fa554
Chapters
1. episode 5 trailer (00:00:00)
2. Introducing Gracey Wilson (00:02:30)
3. What was the first accomplishment and first failure you had at work? What lessons did you learn from both? (00:05:02)
4. Do you wish you had started your career with a different kind of company? (00:10:00)
5. Has gender dynamics ever played a role in your career journey? (00:13:17)
6. When you are a new employee walking into a room full of experienced individuals, how do you bring up your ideas? (00:15:32)
7. What is the early in career group in Microsoft? How can someone form their own group in their own orgs? (00:18:25)
8. What is your advice for folks who like you, started their careers remotely during the pandemic? (00:22:12)
9. What is the next big change apart from the pandemic, that you see coming for the tech world? (00:27:40)
10. Thoughts on 9 to 5 jobs? (00:30:37)
11. What advice do you have for people who want to make a career transition into tech? (00:33:54)
12. How important is it to have a mentor in your career? (00:36:34)
13. What do organizations prioritize, other than paying attention to their passionate employees, who have become quiet? (00:39:28)
14. Gracey's definition of success! (00:42:34)
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