MICROSOFT – MY VIRTUAL MENTOR

26^th January 2001 is a very important day of my life. This very day, I got my first computer (I would rather say, my mom bought herself a new computer). Since my mom was a computer teacher, I had the privilege of learning how to operate a computer easily (though I had hardships in moving the mouse pointer to the place I wanted). She was the one who taught me how to switch on/off the computer. Though I predominantly played in the computer, I found the computer to be a Pandora’s Box. Now, let share my experiences with Microsoft with respect to my timeline.

 

At the age of 9

Yes, this was the age when I was introduced to a computer (especially to computer games!!). I was one among the lucky ones to boast myself at school, that I had a computer in my house. I would endlessly brag about the computer and its functionalities to my friends. I also used to talk about certain technical terms which I had known then (by overhearing my mom speak about it), such as Windows 98, MS-Paint, etc. Those made me feel like a ‘genius’ (!) among my friends in school.

This was the time when I also used to paint using MS-Paint for several hours. Like most of us, I had difficulty in using the pencil to draw a free-hand diagram and color a box correctly without spreading it all over the page. MS-Paint has definitely been a starting point and encouraged many people to draw and design in the computer.

 

From 10 - 15

The presence of MS-Office has been bliss for many firms and Organizations and in particular to me, it has been a tool to write my assignments. With the help of Word, I used to type my assignments and take a print-out of it and submit it to my teacher whereas my friends used to write the entire assignment with great difficulty to write straight in the unruled paper. The assignments which I completed with the help of Word had page borders and perfect diagrams which used the drawing tools present in word.

PowerPoint has provided me with the means to express my views on a particular topic. For instance I made a PowerPoint presentation for my parents wedding anniversary and my mom and dad’s birthday. Thanks to the animation effects and transition effects which gave my presentations a grand finish.

 

From 15 - 18

This was the age, when I started surfing the internet for my assignments (Psst., That’s what my parents though), and playing games (which I did all the time !). I used Internet Explorer to surf the internet. Which is the standard browser for Internet. This was the time when I started learning about the Operating Systems and how fascinating Windows XP was with a new enhanced GUI when compared to Windows 98.

I started playing PC games like Age of Empires and Flight Simulator. These two games are still my favorite games. I never find it boring when I start playing these two games. Especially, with Age of Empires, I have played for hours together. During my holidays I spend almost 8 hours playing AOE-II at a stretch (though I take my meals at the right time!?!). The fascinating thing about Age of Empires is that it makes me feel as I am a king and it allows me to take my own strategy to win a game. This has particularly cultivated my leadership skills and decision making skills.

 

From 18 - Till present

Now, I have started generating revenue, thanks to Microsoft for providing me such an opportunity via Windows Phone Apps and Windows 8 Apps. I started developing mobile applications during the 2^nd year of my U.G. Now I have published over 52 Windows 8 apps. and 34 Windows Phone Apps. In the process of developing applications I developed my designing skills with the help of Windows Expression products such as Expression Blend and Design. I used the IDE in the form of Visual Studio to code my C# based applications. The various versions of Visual Studio brought in new features which made developing applications more fun.

Thus, my life is enhanced and improved by Microsoft, which I proudly call as my “Virtual Mentor”. I cannot imagine a day without me using a Microsoft Product. It has given me opportunities to exhibit my potentials to the society. I would like to use the Microsoft Student Associate program to the benefit for both the society and myself. With the stage well set to explore the latest trends and sharing the knowledge with my friends I am at a yard’s distance from attaining my goal as a Microsoft Student Associate.

The following video explains how Microsoft Influenced my life and motivated me to become a Microsoft Student Associate