Top Microsoft position for KZN man (22)

[Patrick_Hockstetter]

http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/top-microsoft-position-for-kzn-man-22-20160328

Pietermaritzburg - A KwaZulu-Natal youngster who dropped out of school has nailed a top position as Microsoft regional director in South Africa.

At only 22, Taylor Gibb from Durban will have the heavy responsibility on his shoulders of working closely with product teams in Redmond, Washington, United States, as well as local Microsoft offices to align both business and technical strategy with existing and potential clients.

 

[Patrick_Hockstetter]

This guy has just broken the must go to school and uni idea!

 

[DuckKnuckle]

Repost

 

[Mila]

No he has not, a few successful people has done this, but more have done it with school and Uni.

There is always the exception to the rule, but not everybody can be the exception. Everybody wants to be the guy that did it without schooling but nobody wants to put in the hours that this guy did. He didn't just quit school and doodled at home with his smart phone.

 

[krycor]

Hopefully he was earning decently prior to this else he wil be underpaid by a huge margin given SA HR practices haha.

 

[R13...]

JZ's son?

 

[Hamster]

1. It's already been posted yesterday: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthr...h-African-becomes-Microsoft-regional-director

2. He is not a "Regional Director" in the way that article lets it come across:

Erm.... http://www.msrd.io/

He is basically an MVP that can code. News24 quality reporting at its best again

A Regional Director typically is an expert who focuses on software development tools and technologies, whereas a Microsoft MVP can be experts in any of the numerous Microsoft software and services – like Windows for instance.

...

Thus, to become a Microsoft Regional Director, you have to be visibly active in different areas of technologies. You must be contributing towards promoting and creating an awareness of Microsoft technologies and must be helping out people in using those technologies properly. Involvement in other Microsoft programs and completion of Microsoft Certifications could be an added benefit.

He doesn't work for Microsoft.

So basically, he has a slightly better chance of actually being useful when you ask for his assistance than an MVP would be.

 

[crackersa]

thanks hamster for clearing that up. i suspected as much.

I had a few encounters with the guy....i'll just leave it at that.

 

[Patrick_Hockstetter]

thanks hamster for clearing that up. i suspected as much.

I had a few encounters with the guy....i'll just leave it at that.

Tell us more

 

[Hamster]

thanks hamster for clearing that up. i suspected as much.

I had a few encounters with the guy....i'll just leave it at that.

Yeah, I don't know the guy but it is highly improbable anybody that didn't complete school and studied will become a director of any company unless he starts his own.

If he is anything like any of these other MVP/consultant guys that conference more than they dev then I know the type I can't stand these guys who read the latest blog post by some Google or Microsoft engineer and then profess it to the world as gospel.

Anyway: Kids, go to school.

 

[Arthur]

Don't put much store by titles. He's not a director in the SA sense, ie a company officer in terms of the Companies Act. Neither is he Regional Director in the way titles are used in the formal Microsoft organisation - a Regional Director is the senior line manager to whom country managers in a particular geography report, for example the Regional Director for AIME (Africa, India and Middle East) has the country managers in those geographies report to him. That is not the position occupied by this lad. The local Microsoft MD is several tiers of management higher than the lad.

 

[Grant]

I had a few encounters with the guy....i'll just leave it at that.

ha !!!
i knew i'd get my turn one day.

SPILL THE BEANS DAMMIT !!!

 

[ToxicBunny]

Don't put much store by titles. He's not a director in the SA sense, ie a company officer in terms of the Companies Act. Neither is he Regional Director in the way titles are used in the formal Microsoft organisation - a Regional Director is the senior line manager to whom country managers in a particular geography report, for example the Regional Director for AIME (Africa, India and Middle East) has the country managers in those geographies report to him. That is not the position occupied by this lad. The local Microsoft MD is several tiers of management higher than the lad.

From the way I understand it, he isn't directly employed by MS (or he may be, but its not a full time role)... Its a techology leadership/social media/evangelist type role to a large degree.