North of Normal

Today marks my two-year anniversary at Microsoft, an anniversary that I’ve been dreading for weeks. When I moved to Fargo, North Dakota I remember telling friends and family in New England that I’d be in Fargo for “two years, at most”. In my mind, having this milestone come and pass seemed like a failure. I set a goal, and I was unsuccessful in achieving it. However, after a LOT of reflection on my growth over the past two years, I think I can look at my experiences in Fargo with a new perspective. I want to celebrate my two-year anniversary by sharing how I have come to develop a deep appreciation for Microsoft Fargo.

Embracing North of Normal

I made this move for professional reasons. When I first got to Fargo all my attention was focused on hitting my numbers and “moving up.” We live in an interconnected world where our professional and personal lives are constantly affecting one another. Even though I initially viewed Fargo as a location to jump start my career, I learned to accept that I exist in Fargo outside of a 40-hour work week. I was going to burn out fast if I didn’t embrace “North of Normal,” which is how people here refer to Fargo, this wonderfully weird community in the freezing upper Midwest. I needed to find fulfillment outside of work if I wanted to perform well in my position and stay positive about this new chapter in my life. So, this is what I did:

Surrounded myself with Fargo Fans

•  With so many “transplants” (people who moved to Fargo to work for Microsoft) it is easy to get caught in the dominant narrative of “I can’t wait to make it out of here.” Fargo has some incredibly passionate people who are dedicated to making this community inclusive-latch onto them. They will show you why they love calling Fargo home, and their energy for this community is contagious.
• Shout out to Folkways, Unglued, Red River Market, Groupthink, Fargo Brewing Run Club, Downtown Yoga, Downtown Fargo Community Partnership , Beyond Running Run Club, The Tell, Fargo Theater , The Arts Partnership, The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, Prairie Roots Food Co-Op, Fargo Parks, Ecce Gallery, and also Go Bison I walked in to most of your establishments alone, and you welcomed me with open arms. Thank you.

Made meaningful, long term commitments

• Mentorship is one of the most powerful interventions you can have in a young person’s life, which is why I volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and uCodeGirl. Both require a minimum of 1-year commitment and both keep me motivated to pursue excellence in the male-dominated industry of technology. Thriving in your current environment can be an example of what is possible to someone else, so think about how you can share your success with others while you are here.
• Pro tip: If you’ve ever considered running your first marathon, do it in Fargo - it’s the flattest one. When I started training it was a true couch to 26.2 miles struggle story that took 6 months to materialize. Although this seems like an athletic accomplishment it was really an exercise in empowerment and developing mental toughness. It was about showing up and making sure that I finished, which is a metaphor for how to approach every challenge in life.
• Ask yourself the important questions: what energizes you? What gets you moving? What keeps you motivated? And most importantly: can you do it here?

Saved my money

• This is not as fun as the others, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the cost-saving benefits of living in Fargo. I moved here without a comma in my bank account. Now I am completely financially independent, and actively saving for my future. I was able to refinance my student loans  through the Bank of North Dakota, the nation’s only state owned bank. Without financial benefits like this I wouldn’t have been able to fund any of my adventures, which I’m about to share with you!

Explored the surrounding region, and then the world

• I had never been to the Midwest before moving to Fargo, and there were some things I just couldn’t anticipate. I still can’t get over how incredible the sunrises and sunsets are (if you don’t believe me check my Instagram @magstar24). There is so much sky, and I love thinking of it as the perfect metaphor for the endless opportunities. Not to mention, I feel like I’m in a snow globe every time the snowfalls. My first-time curling, snowmobiling, snowboarding, and fishing on a pontoon all happened in this area. When was the last time you did something for the first time?
• I started listing out all the places I’ve been in the past 2 years and decided those stories are better suited for the book I’ll write someday. If you are interested in my travels, I created a Google Map with some quick snippets. But really, the main take-away is to get out there. If you’re someone who doesn’t think it pays to take PTO - Check out TreeHoppr to be convinced otherwise. Microsoft has sent me to some incredible places for business purposes, and if you are able to capitalize on extending the trip I encourage you to do so. 

Discover Your World Class Skill

When I first started at Microsoft I had a vague idea of what I was good at in a professional sense. 2 years later I can tell you with confidence about the world class skills I have to offer –

I am strategic, I am positive, and I inspire action. 

When I started as a Sales Development Specialist for Azure I was incredibly eager to “move up.” In order to climb the ranks I knew there was one thing I had to do: I had to hit (and exceed) all my metrics. I planned my work, and I worked my plan. I’m oversimplifying this story, but in short, I worked hard and I moved up.

As leaders start to recognize your strengths you will become more visible and attract opportunities. These opportunities could be a promotion, a stretch project, or an external offer, and you can’t say yes to all of them so Start With Why.

A year ago, my why was getting out of Fargo. Now, it is more important for me to strategically align and improve my world class skills with the right opportunities. As Tony Robbins said, “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach” Which leads me to my next point…

Be Patient

Reading this article about Millennials lead to a lightbulb moment for me. When I read “The problem is that ambition and action are not the same thing” I felt very defensive. I am ambitious, and I’m acting on it. My problem was that I wasn’t being patient and intentional.

My current book of business holds digitally transformative customer success stories that I am incredibly proud of. However, a few big wins aren’t enough to sustain the type of long-term success I aspire to achieve. My current position is all about nurturing relationships and strategically supporting Microsoft’s Azure customers. I work with businesses that are developing solutions that will be disruptive to their industries and transform the way they provide value in their marketplaces. Change doesn’t happen overnight, even with big compute capabilities. 

It takes time to learn a new cloud solution, it takes time to change your mindset, and it takes time to earn people’s trust. I’m trying to build something great, and I am no longer concerned with packing that perfectly into two years.

As someone who is goal-oriented, I understand the inclination to set a goal with a timeline. My question for anyone reading this would be, why are you picking that timeline? When I asked myself, I realized that two years was an arbitrary period of time. 

I am proud of the foundation Fargo has helped me build, both professionally and personally.

Thank you for reading, and cheers to two years!