Leveling Up His Programming Skills: Why Alec Crow Became a Microsoft Student Partner

This post is part of an ongoing series on preparing for a career in technology by the Microsoft Student Partner Program. For more career advice and to learn how you can get a jumpstart at your local university follow @MS_Student on Twitter and share your questions using the #WhyMSP hashtag.

Alec Crow (@Alec_Crow) is an MSP at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is majoring in Business Information Systems. We sat down to get some insight into his experience as a Microsoft Ambassador and what advice he has for the next wave of students that might be applying for the program now (deadline for applications is September 15^th). Here’s what he had to say.

What inspired you to become an MSP?

During my freshmen year of college I worked closely with our school’s then MSP. I thought it was awesome that he, just as a student, was able to work with Microsoft employees to host development workshops. I saw the position as a great way to improve my own personal development skills, as well as a way to network with others from Microsoft. Since he was graduating that year, I began helping him with workshops as a type of personal “training” to take over his role for the following years.

How would you describe your role as an MSP?

As an MSP, I work closely with campus faculty and Microsoft Tech Evangelists to coordinate promotional and development events targeted at students to encourage the use of Microsoft products.

What are the benefits of being an MSP?

The best part of being an MSP is the personal development. Not only has it helped me improve as a developer, but the networking I’ve been able to do through the program has helped open many doors that otherwise would never have been available. We also have the chance to work more closely with professors, which is a great way to make even more connections. And then of course there is all of the awesome free Microsoft swag, which is always fun to show off.

What is your favorite thing about being an MSP?

My favorite part of being an MSP has been working with other students. I am passionate about technology and programming, and through this program, I’ve been able to share that passion and inspire waves of new application developers. Some of the students I’ve taught have made $1,000s off apps they’ve submitted to the store, and knowing I am responsible for helping them succeed is a fantastic feeling.

What was your most memorable moment(s) as an MSP?

My most memorable moment involved a group of a dozen or so students getting more than 750 apps into the marketplace, within a single week. At the end of my sophomore year, our school was challenged to get as many apps accepted to the store as possible, and alongside my favorite professor, I accepted that challenge. The event took place the week after finals, and it was several long and grueling days of programming, but we all left feeling accomplished knowing that we had earned a large grant for our school’s growing MIS department.

Are there any skills that you have learned or improved upon since becoming an MSP?

Both my development and presentational skills have improved since becoming an MSP. I had very little experience with C# coming into the program, so I forced myself to learn as much as possible, that way I could pass on those skills to my fellow students. However, this also required me to work on my presentational and teaching skills since teaching tech isn’t always easy. And since not every student is an A+ programmer, I have definitely had to learn to be more patient!

What are you looking forward to accomplishing in your MSP role for next year?

I really want to see Windows app development continue to grow on my campus. I’ve already worked with professors to get app development incorporated into classes, which should hopefully lead to me being able to offer more advanced workshops to help students really delve deeper into the code.

How do you think the MSP program helps you beyond college?

The skills I’ve gained and accomplishments I’ve made alone have been huge resume boosters for me. Being able to actually show recruiters applications in the store that I built is an awesome feeling, and it has helped me to get several awesome internship and job offers. Combined with all the networking the program allows us to do, I feel we as MSPs have significantly more job opportunities available to us than many of our fellow students, and that is an amazing feeling.