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Hi, my name is Artur and I’m 22 years old Partner Channel Marketing Manager at Microsoft working for a Russian subsidiary.

In this article, I want to share my learning path to pursue my dream career in one of the largest corporations on the globe.

Changing approach

I was not a very passionate student. Getting my degree in RANEPA in the field of Management/Marketing, I wasn’t really sure that this was the right choice.

It was 2017 and programming languages were booming: everybody got to know them. I tried and I failed.

I started learning Python on Udemy free courses and couldn’t comprehend a thing! I was frustrated and devastated at the same time.

“I will never be somewhere around IT!” -, I thought.

And I’ve decided to change my approach and get laser-focused on my current studies at the university.

Small steps, big dreams

Quickly I realized that if you can put your mind to something, you’ll eventually grow your expertise.

I remember Math, Informatics, Business Development, Business English, Management, and Digital Marketing as the cornerstones of my future career.

I learned that asking questions is the only way for me to grasp the concept, and I had to solidify it by getting back to it at home. They say if you don’t know something, perhaps an Indian guy is already teaching it on YouTube. They are great at teaching, by the way, I love them.

So, I was consistently expanding my understanding of fundamentals, step by step getting to my first great learning – working for an international cybersecurity company.

Hardening soft skills

During my onboarding at Kaspersky, I had to get exceptional at multitasking: a whole lot of new data, first full-time job and I’m still studying.

At this point, I was not only expanding my hard skills: working in MS Office and other applications, but also getting my soft skills trained. You see, I was green, and I had difficulty conveying my point of view. So, I’ve decided to enroll in my first big course on Coursera devoted to Negotiation.

Honestly, it was perfect timing. I had some issues at work that couldn’t have been solved without this wonderful course. Learning more about the art of negotiation, interconnection and communication allowed me to gain the confidence to move further in my career.

Shift before the jump

Then I started working for L’Oreal and again, dozens of materials that I had to familiarize myself with.

At this point, I wanted to start over my programming learning, and I’ve started the course ‘Python for Beginners’ at Stepic. It’s free and interactive, which allowed me to practice more and network, which eventually gave me a deeper understanding.

Here, I crystallized my approach: study at work on how to get your work better, study at home on how to make your life better.

As you can see, there is no option that you don’t study. I love learning new and so at that point, I was learning Python, Investing, First Aid, Spanish, and Nutritiology for myself and E-mail Marketing, CRM, SEO, SMM, CJM, and Project Management for my job.

The Big Stepper and Mr. Nadella

I got a job offer at Microsoft after a few months for L’Oreal.

I’m a non-stopping, never-resting learner and the corporate culture is encouraging this approach. In less than a year I learned more than in the last 3-4 years.

Courses on Marketing, Management, Resilience, and Project management; badges and certifications in Sustainability, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion and Azure Fundamentals.

Sometimes, we don’t even notice the learning possibilities a company has to offer, not to mention free and cheap opportunities on the web.

One of the greatest concepts I learned here at Microsoft that will really stick up with me is that in order to find success, we need to switch our approach from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all”. Be a constant learner and you will always be one step ahead of your past self.