By:  The JobsBloggers 

The Pacific Northwest. Tech jobs. Inspiration.

The great outdoors are your inspiration. You want a job that brings success.  Build a career at Microsoft and check the box for a lifestyle that allows you to have both. Three employees say that with the Northwest as your outdoor playground, a career at Microsoft rocks.

 Kyle Zinter, Software Development Engineer (SDE) in ECIT (Microsoft IT)
The Pacific Northwest played a big role in my decision to pursue a career at Microsoft. I know how important it is to have a good job, but I also know how short life is.  I wanted to take a job where I was going to be able to enjoy my life. If you live somewhere you love, it’s going to allow you to be more productive and improve your overall work environment.

I looked at two other jobs, one in Boston where I went to school and one in San Jose, CA. I preferred Microsoft anyway, but because Microsoft was in the Pacific Northwest, the decision was easy.

Josh Hoy, Software Design Engineer in Test (SDET) in Microsoft Live
When Microsoft called me to interview, I was working for a company in Pennsylvania. After I got an offer, the other company countered by saying it would relocate me. Pennsylvania offered some outdoor activities, but nothing compares to the Northwest. I enjoy hiking, road biking and I do a LOT of running. I wanted to move somewhere I could do all of them. The running and biking community here is insane. The number of bike lanes on the roads and running trails made this area ideal. And the fact that Microsoft has onsite bike repairs and gives employees yearly bike tune-ups is a real bonus.

Steve Bimson, Service Manager for Azure
The Pacific Northwest is a truly unique place. Yes, it really does rain a lot in the winter.  (I had interned with Microsoft previously, so I knew what to expect.) At the same time, it’s one of the few places in the U.S. where you can go skiing in the morning and for an evening sail later that same day.

I was recruited from the University of Texas at Austin, and I relocated from Dallas to work in Redmond. There is so much to do here. There is outstanding hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, rock climbing and skiing all within an hour or less from my office. Living on a houseboat has made the experience even better and has opened my eyes to another set of uniquely Seattle experiences--although I’m still waiting for Meg Ryan to show up on my doorstep.