Why I Turned Down My Dream Job
I was chasing a job for my ego over happiness.
The day I started college, I wanted to work for Microsoft.
As a state college student, I was told Microsoft is too competitive; a job offer there was this mythical prize always just out of reach. I placed that prize up on a pedestal and made it my #1 goal by graduation.
I spent 4 years at college maximizing my candidacy, courting Microsoft along the way. In my senior year, I made it to the final interview summit in Dallas, TX. The night before the moment of truth, I had an epiphany.
I didn’t want the job.
I’ve been turned down by Microsoft a dozen times (no fault of theirs). They turned me away in the Fall, Winter, and Spring of my freshman, sophomore, and junior years of college. I applied to be a campus ambassador on four occasions — each resulted in rejection. Why did I keep at it?
It was a game for me. What’s missing in my portfolio? How do I increase my odds this year? Each year I got better and better. Sometimes, recruiters remembered me. My conversations with them became less awkward and more targeted. But the opportunity to be taken seriously was always just out of reach.
In the meantime, I managed to score internships each summer with other companies…
