How Microsoft has impacted my life and how I plan to bring a change to the society being a Microsoft Student Associate

“What makes a brand impactful for my life?” I ask myself.
And then my brain set out on a journey to answer this basic question. Here is how my thought process flew.

Growing up with Microsoft

I grew up in an age when the internet revolution was picking up. As a child, it was always exciting to get my hands on a device called ‘computer’- an entry to the magical and uncharted world where we could play games that gave adrenaline rush and search for anything under the sky on the internet. I looked at it with wonderment, always wanting to know the endless sea that internet was. As I write this, we are living in a world where smartphones have pervaded the lives of millions of people on the planet. My generation has straddled these two extreme times-the one of books and the other of Kindle. This transition has been at an astounding pace-so astounding that only the best of the brands have been the leaders of this revolution. The brand that has been most impactful for my generation has to be the one that led this revolution of change .And for me, the most prominent brand that has built bridges of change at this astonishing pace has been Microsoft.

Switching on the PC, the screen glowed up with a background of blue and a colourful windows 98 logo. As a child, I didn’t know what it was exactly and what an OS is generally. But I knew that this picture of kite-like four colours meant my computer had started up and I was seconds away from the world of entertainment. Windows has evolved from that time, changing from 98 to 2000 to XP to Vista to Windows 7 to the latest stylish and young Windows 8(Wow!) We have grown up with the Windows and it has changed as per the world. Yet even today when I log on to my PC, I know that on the other side of that Windows Start Up screen is a world which will make my eyes open up like child-like wonder.

Signs of an impactful brand? It won’t just be an entry to an amazing world. But  a lot more beyond it!

So, when I reach the other side of the Windows Screen, Microsoft is in every corner of my life. If I have to talk to my home from my Engineering hostel, Skype puts its hand up and does the job perfectly. If I have to dive in the endless ocean of knowledge, Explorer takes me along-making me feel important by considering my customized preferences. If I have to scribble for fun, Paint awaits me. And in my B-school life, Microsoft Office has been one loyal friend who puts a hand around your shoulder and says “Chill mate, I am here, like I have always been”.

From the world of business when I wander across to the fields of entertainment, Microsoft X-Box has all the answers. It remains my wish to have a room with X-Box and an Ikea couch with a leg rest. So, away from the past and the present, I am sure even future wishes to walk alongside Microsoft as it builds bridges to embrace and create every change that makes our life simple. How more can a brand impact one’s life?

If I get to be one of the coveted Microsoft Student Associates, I would get to be a part of the change. Ever since logging on to a Windows 98 System, I have been a tech enthusiast. I love to promote my own cricket blog (here) on various social media platforms and like a number devouring statistician, analyze the Blog Analytics to bring change. I like to keep a finger on the pulse when it comes to the rapidly evolving technology. My summer internship in the growing field of Digital Marketing for a leading matrimonial company honed my skills and helped me learn something I wanted to –‘Technology’. As an MSA, I look forward to take this passion for technology to another level. Interacting with similar tech freaks across the country will be an experience in itself. I will love learning the nuances of the best technology practices at various conferences.  I have worked with an NGO dealing with intellectual disability and it was one of the most moving experiences I had which motivated me to do something for the society. In that short stint, I learnt how much courage it takes to be them. The world around them makes them feel ‘disabled’ yet they find a way to be happy and comfortable in their own skin. As MSA, being part of numerous activities impacting society as a representative of Microsoft will be both an honour and a matter of pride for me.

This is an opportunity for me to be better than what I am today. A version 2.0 of myself. I wish to be a part of this community to be part of the revolution driver of the world, a place where I contribute and learn the nitty-gritty of the fields that I am passionate for –Technology and Social Cause.