By: Gillian Follett ’22
Cayla Dorsey graduated from Syracuse University in the middle of a global pandemic. Despite the extra hurdles added to the already chaotic process of transitioning from college to the workplace, she managed to persevere and achieve her dream job of working as a user experience writer at Microsoft.
In this week’s episode of Behind the Monitor, we sat down with Dorsey to discuss what her first few months at Microsoft have been like, how her time at Syracuse University helped prepare her for a career in tech, and what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the start of her professional life.At Syracuse University, Dorsey was a dual major in Public Relations and Information Management and Technology. Originally, she never envisioned herself studying information technology (IT), but after she heard about the iSchool from some of her friends, she quickly applied to be a dual major during her sophomore year. The constant expansion of the tech field and the wide range of potential career opportunities it offered fascinated Dorsey.
“IT right now is the big thing … it’s a really smart choice, I think, to have with your degree,” she said. “That was probably the best decision I made at Syracuse.”
Over the course of her time on campus, Dorsey’s interest in technology spread from her major into her extracurricular activities. She worked as a research assistant for a professor in the iSchool and was a member of the Black and Latinx Information Science and Technology Society (BLISTS). She also was a student worker at ITS, where she gained experience working in an office setting and collaborating on projects with a team.
Gaining relevant experience and developing skills for your future career while still in college is incredibly important, Dorsey said. She recommends students seek out employment opportunities in areas they hope to work in and get involved in organizations that produce projects that can help demonstrate their skill and knowledge. Her involvement on campus was incredibly useful in preparing her for her role at Microsoft, she said.
“Everyone’s applying for these jobs … the competition is getting more fierce. A lot of people want to work in tech and work with these name-brand companies,” she said. “My biggest advice to people is to find ways to stand out and create tangible examples of your work.”
Over her past four months at Microsoft, Dorsey has worked as a user experience writer, a role that involves creating text—like phone notifications or emails—for different products, apps or websites. Specifically, she’s been part of the team working on the Microsoft Family Safety app, which helps parents monitor their children’s digital activity. Although her work has been entirely remote due to the pandemic and she hasn’t been able to set foot on Microsoft’s campus in Washington state, she still has enjoyed the last few months immensely.
As a Black woman, Dorsey said she has faced some challenges in the white-male-dominated IT field, both during her time at Syracuse University and in her first few months as a professional. She frequently has had others attribute her accomplishments—like her job offer from Microsoft—to her race, rather than the skills and hard work that actually got her hired. At Microsoft, only a small percentage of employees are Black women, which can sometimes feel discouraging, she said. However, Microsoft also has several diversity initiatives that seek to increase the number of people of color employed at the company, which Dorsey sees as promising for the future of IT.
She hopes more people of color, and women of color especially, continue to be encouraged to work in IT despite the limited diversity of the field’s current makeup.
“I’m definitely excited to see where tech goes in the future, because I think companies are starting to take on that responsibility to be more conscious of the people that we’re surrounded by,” she said.
With campus recruiting season in full swing and career fairs scheduled over the coming weeks, Dorsey encourages students to take time to think deeply about their future career plans, especially with the added pressure of the pandemic. With hard work and dedication, she was able to land her dream job, and she knows that others can, too.
“I know they tell you you have time to figure out what you want to do, but really set time to talk with yourself to figure out what you want to do, so you can work on things that help you get to where you want to get,” she said.
To get in touch with Cayla, you can add her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter (@CaylaDorsey).