Day in the Life of a Microsoft Software Engineer | Vancouver 2024

[@spikespigel4395]

I found you through your Reddit post. What a cool life. Keep the good work going.

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much, will try to keep it going!

[@crazyhawaiian40]

That is the dream! Working from 10am to 4pm!!

[@DustinBrett]

Haha thanks! I actually worked on the train and on the way home also as I do PR review, emails & teams on my phone sometimes. And some days I work more, some days less. I decided to film this on a day I knew would be a bit slower.

[@abhishek6519]

KZbin just suggested me your website and now I'm your subscriber

[@DustinBrett]

Great to hear you liked my content enough to subscribe, thanks very much! I plan to do another day in the life video later this month and a lot more content around my website/project.

[@jerrylin4980]

Day in the Life of a Microsoft Software Engineer: 70% walking, 10% eating, 20% working

[@DustinBrett]

I think it was more like 30/20/50, but I didn't record as much while working. Also this is just one day in my life. Some days I work more, some less.

[@jerrylin4980]

@@DustinBrett Thanks for clarifying. I was just joking, no offence. It looks absolutely amazing! I'll be joining MSVan around this September. Hope to meet you in the office!!

[@DustinBrett]

@@jerrylin4980 Thanks! That's awesome you'll be joining MSVan. See you there!

[@ozgurpeynirci4586]

@@jerrylin4980 You'll get fired if you do not apologize.

[@jerrylin4980]

@ Umm are you going to fire me?🤔

[@k10633]

Men watch, men smile, men admire. Your work is amazing keep up ❤

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much!

[@osman3404]

but what time you work on the website? ;)

[@DustinBrett]

I usually get to work on it for a few hours most evenings, after my kids go to bed.

[@mojojojo6525]

I discovered you through your dope website And i have to say you are an inspiration

[@DustinBrett]

Happy to hear you felt inspired and also enjoyed my website. Thanks!

[@Cballin]

were you the only one in the office that day?

[@DustinBrett]

Besides me and a co-worker, almost nobody comes in to our area of the office. In the entire building, only about 10-20% of it is occupied on most days. That is the post-Covid WFH world.

[@LookingAway359]

​@@DustinBrettWhy do you go into the office?

[@DustinBrett]

@@LookingAway359 Quite a few reasons, I like the exercise of walking, meeting and talking with coworkers in person & after 3+ years I am tired of work from home. Some of my coworkers never come in, but I find career wise that I am more engaged when I come in and that I know more of what is going on. Video calls and chats can't replace in-person for me & productivity is more than how many lines of code I write or how quickly I finished my tasks, I need to be exposed to new ideas and having conversations with people.

[@nikhilawasthi3430]

Found you through your website. You are really inspiring and thanks for making this video.

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much, that is great to hear! I hope to keep making videos for a long time.

[@cristianvargas7176]

What programming language do you write in?

[@DustinBrett]

I mostly do front-end development, so usually that is HTML, CSS & JavaScript (TypeScript). I work with Angular and Node/Express.js at work. Sometimes we will write in C# also. And we have a Java back-end but I haven't needed to commit any code to it.

[@Ayman00786]

hey man just wanted to know how do you have that detailed taskbar in windows 11 its something new I saw as a windows user please let me know how you got that setting

[@DustinBrett]

Everything I showed was actually just a custom made taskbar which I use for my project/website. Also it was based on Windows 10 and the OS I streamed on was also Windows 10, so I am unsure how to adjust the Windows 11 taskbar as I have been avoided Windows 11 except when I work.

[@wiwi1447]

That's pretty inspirational. Can you make a vd about your journey to Mircosoft tho?

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks! For sure I will eventually. I've touched on it before in my video on motivation, but I will consider a focused video on getting into Microsoft. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWTcoYOdm69nqrssi=_tHs2kfmVs9Jjzp4

[@derickmoncado]

Sick edit man, this was great. That pizza looked like it absolutely slapped🤟

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks, glad you liked it! Ya that pizza is very good, shout out to Steveston Pizza Company! My family has it every few weeks.

[@LuckyLootTube]

As a simple man, all I can do is to admire you, Dustin. I wish you to be healthy and prosperous.

[@DustinBrett]

Thank you very much!

[@artemkryvoruchenko]

What is AMA?

[@DustinBrett]

AMA means Ask Me Anything. I don't recall if I posted about doing this in the future, but thanks for asking to clarify assuming I did. Update: Ah I recall now that there was an AMA in my video from my org. They do these often. I also plan to do an AMA eventually which is why I forgot where you'd seen that term.

[@DimonDeveloper]

Cool video man, I recognized all the places :) How much do you making there?

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks! Ya the office is very central so easy to recognize most of the spots for those who have been to Vancouver. I make roughly what the levels fyi website says is average for my role/company.

[@andreeeeeeeee670]

Thanks for sharing man, u inspire me to work in Vancouver compared to Toronto Mind i ask how much dev experience you need to get into Microsoft ? Much thanks 🙏

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks for checking out my video! Vancouver is a great place in my opinion. I think in theory you don't really need any experience, but the challenges are getting the interview, and passing the interview(s). For me I had a lifetime of experience messing around with computers, and a few years working at very small companies around Vancouver. But I spent a lot of time finding the opportunities to get noticed by Microsoft enough to get the interview, and I didn't pass my first time I tried. I was persistent and I kept study and working with code, and on the 2nd time interviewing I was able to get in. Never giving up and focusing on wanting to understand coding are what I attribute to getting in.

[@Youtube-Channel1]

Awesome walkthrough. Love the POV style. Are you using multiple cameras? What kind?

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks! I also like the POV style, although I wish I could have taken a few more videos of myself working. I need a better tripod than just finding random stuff around the office to prop up my phone. It was all with 1 camera, which is also my phone, the Pixel 8 Pro.

[@Youtube-Channel1]

@@DustinBrett So cool! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more videos.

[@DustinBrett]

@@KZbin-Channel1 Thanks for checking it out! I do indeed plan to do more videos like this and about my life/work. I enjoy doing them for others and for myself as a record of a point in time of my life.

[@ak.pod31]

I'm a student at UBC majoring in CS and this gives me a very authentic insight into what my life in the future could be like and honestly does not look that bad. The work life balance seems to be very fair and you seem to spend a good amount of time with your kids. What position are you in and how long have you been working here?

[@DustinBrett]

Happy to hear you found my video insightful, it is indeed an authentic look into a little slice of my life. Microsoft provides a great work-life-balance, and in general I am pretty good at finding a balance. Currently I am a front-end engineer (SE2) working on Viva Glint, which is survey software.

[@shankar99977]

Looks like you shifted here? By the way, microsoft doesnt provide food?

[@DustinBrett]

If by shifted you mean I am on a new team, I have been for over a year now so my Day in the Life videos from older than that had me mostly hanging out on the 7th floor, now I stay on the 4th more often. Indeed Microsoft does not provide food, besides apples, oranges & bananas. But I sure wish they would and I would be more eager to come in if I knew I was being fed.

[@Bone8Daddy]

What are your nights like?

[@DustinBrett]

Basically like that video showed, 8 PM my kids go to bed and then I watch movies/tv while coding and reading stuff until 10-11 PM. I used to stay up till midnight-1 AM but I have been cutting back on that the last few months. I used to work on my side project every night, but it's been feeling pretty complete lately so I am looking for new inspiration.

[@Thyringer]

No question, the work environment looks great. But what's the point of making the trip to the company office when there's hardly anyone there anyway?! It certainly looked very, very empty.

[@DustinBrett]

I like to go in because I like the commute as a chance to stay active and to think. I also like meeting people around the office. It is indeed sad that nobody comes in anymore, but I still enjoy the process of going to work and working in an office.

[@mircilo89]

No one at the office at 10? Or just your department? If you haven't already answered ehat kind of salary range is a position like your at in your location?

[@dadadadadadadadadadadada]

Crisp edit! That's clean living brotha!

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much! I'm eating slightly healthier now and getting lots of exercise. It was a great day.

[@sqbmedia-qc9fn]

It's just amazing watching you! I wanted to ask you if you didn't go to college how did you got jobs? And what you as a software engineer think of this whole 'Ai is gonna eat jobs' stuff which is going on. I'm asking this because I'm 18 and this year I'm going to university (college). My priorities are computer science CS and AI, so I'll get graduated in 2028. Answer keeping the future in mind. Thanks

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much! I got jobs by getting my foot in the door while also starting from the "bottom". I found my first programming job through Craigslist when I moved to Vancouver. It requires a hustle attitude along with making your own opportunities when you don't have a degree to lean on. As for the AI concern, I think it won't eat our jobs for a very long time, but it also depends if your job is doing something that is on the edge of what is possible to automate or not. AI at the moment does not produce very good code and it makes up things all the time. It works ok in demos and for Todo style apps or code snippets, but when you have big apps that are common within companies, we still have a long way to go, maybe decades. But if you love the work than you will embrace AI as a tool to make you better and more productive, so either way it isn't close to replacing what a good & passionate software engineer can do. I think if you are going to go to school to learn something, it should be because you have a passion for the topic and want to build a career around it so you can do what you love and be proficient at it. I don't recommend studying something because you think it will make good money or that the jobs are there, because even if that is true, you should focus your life on doing what you love. I agree with the phrase, "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life".

[@sqbmedia-qc9fn]

@@DustinBrett very insightful! thanks for sharing.☺

[@jasonj.6276]

I lived in Vancouver my whole life... and I'm a little bit of the opposite.. I travel to Richmond via car... haha oh man, that train ride on the skytrain gives me a headache seeing it...I took a bus every day for 10 years at 2 schools... your schedule seems super tight...

[@DustinBrett]

I personally enjoy the walk to the SkyTrain and the ride, but I've always thought "big city" life was fun. I don't like taking the bus though tbh. I am not sure if you mean "tight" like as in cool, or as in short on time. For time, I don't really have a schedule (besides meetings), so I come to work whenever, sometimes that means I get in at 9, other times 10:30, nobody is keeping track of times at my work so it's up to us to manage our time. I lived in Vancouver from 2015-2020 before I moved to Richmond, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, I lived in Yaletown.

[@joe-rq1wq]

@@DustinBrett so you are held more by the results? like you need to finish x feature or x project by this deadline and whatever hours you need to work to do it that's on you?

[@DustinBrett]

@@joe-rq1wq Yes everything is about getting things done and properly estimating when things can be done, besides that it is up to us on how we spend our time to reach our goals. We also have many other expectations of us beyond our tasks which can take up some time.

[@Vo1t_ftw]

Yoo! Dustin really Fascinated By Your Website Which You Have Created a Whole Windows virtual Box in html.. Really Amazing Mann.. Looking Forward To Work With You Soon.👍

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks, happy to hear you found it fascinating.

[@komeradenope5243]

Dude, 6 hours work a day With a very lovely environment and work place this is very amazing

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much! I did do some Teams/Emails during my commute and I occasionally do some work in the evening, but some days can be like 6 hours depending how things go. And ya the office is very nice and relaxing. There is often some kind of cool event going on, but not when I made this video.

[@alonsofigueroamoreno8590]

That's a life I want to live 😁. Great video, the views are 🔝! Very inspirational.

[@DustinBrett]

Very nice of you to say, thanks! My life changes all the time but I am very happy with how it's going/went.

[@aspiringastronaut9992]

you start work at 10 and go for lunch at noon?

[@DustinBrett]

Well I start work at the point I begin my commute which is at 9. I often will answer messages on Teams, go through all my emails in Outlook and do some PR reviews while I make my way to the office. Then I continue that for another 2 hours before going to lunch around noon. I keep a relaxed schedule and I work at various times throughout the day.

[@jamesfraser1622]

Why do you keep your dogs in a tiny cage at night?

[@DustinBrett]

Because they sleep in their cage and like it, they spend time in their during the day when its open. They chew up things at night otherwise. It is not tiny.

[@batmanatkinson1188]

you are still on Windows 10 on your personal computer

[@DustinBrett]

I am indeed, I love Windows 10 and won't be changing until I am forced to or Windows 11 improves a lot.

[@batmanatkinson1188]

Me too. I had 11, but I switched back to 10, because it slowed down my laptop considerably

[@RPfromCanada]

Dope video and very inspirational! I hope one day I'll join MSVan as well. Keep inspiring bro!

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much! I had a surreal experience last week at the MSVan office where I ran into someone working at Microsoft who said this video of mine (or possibly one of my past ones) was an inspiration for them joining MSVan. So I'm very proud to be able to have inspired a few people with my videos.

[@RPfromCanada]

​@@DustinBrett Wow, that's amazing! Keep up the good work. Hope to see you in MSVan or anywhere in Van someday. I will surely say thank you for being an inspiration.

[@harshal7799]

This vlog was amazing really loved how you shot the video but to improve the vlog i think you should talk a little bit like after finishing the work you can say "now i am going to relax with my family in park" it would engage audience.

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks for checking out my video and the advice about narrating a bit. I agree and next time I will explain what is going on a bit more.

[@lex6011]

Nice video! Again XD

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks! I hope to keep making them for a long time to show my life as it progresses.

[@lex6011]

​@@DustinBrettAlright :)

[@Hapkumdo]

So you work for 5h a day (10-12, 13-16) - cool, do you still get a full pay?

[@DustinBrett]

I'm salaried so yes, and I work more than that some days. Also I work during my commute and some evenings. I do more than the 37.5 hours in my contract. At a job like mine, it's about what you do and not punching a clock.

[@arkansavalder]

Bro you learned coding on your own ? Did you go to college

[@DustinBrett]

Indeed I learned on my own and I never went to any post-secondary school for anything. I just have a passion for tech and wanting to know how it all works.

[@reynardnatividad6180]

Hey man, lets meet some time. Im just in Coquitlam.

[@DustinBrett]

Hey, very possible! I am always trying to attend local tech events in Vancouver so we may run into each other some day. Or you can come work at Microsoft then you'll run into me often. 🙂

[@reynardnatividad6180]

@@DustinBrett ill try to visit your office next time. Maybe I could work there ive done volunteer work for Microsoft in the past.

[@dbuc4671]

dang...your programming skills are all self taught, & no post 2ndary ed whatsoever?? that's pretty impressive...im 21 and i only recently found out the difference between "storage" and "disk space" lmao 😂😂😂😂

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks! I've been into computers since I was a kid, they are my passion. There is always more to learn in tech, but if you enjoy it than it's much easier.

[@dbuc4671]

​@@DustinBrett everyone is innately good at different things, it's definitely easier if u actually enjoy it. I have always been passionate abt geography, languages, countries etc, & i memorized every single capital city country and flag at a young age. i think CS is a much more useful skill in general tho lol.

[@steamdeck110]

alreadyy saw it 2:59

[@DustinBrett]

If you mean I showed this at the start, that is true. I decided this time to do the start with flashes of my day, kind of like the TV show BSG used to do.

[@RahofAboRefaat]

Hey! I’ve got to say, your insights are truly impressive! 🌟 Your experience shines through, and I’m definitely going to apply your advice. Could you give a bit more detail on how you manage your daily routine efficiently? Any tips for balancing work with personal life? Thanks a ton for responding to my previous comment! I implemented your advice and it was incredibly helpful. You’ve literally changed my life in the best way possible. I’ve sent you a DM with my story-hope it makes you smile! My profile picture there is the same as here on KZbin. I’d love to know more about your coaching services. Based on your great experience, I’m seriously considering working with you. Sincere thanks and praise for everything you do! 🙌👏

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks very much! Feel free to email me also at [e-mail], my messenger client on my site gets so much spam that I've had trouble making use of it for a while now. I don't have any coaching services, but that is a neat idea, maybe one day. As for advice on managing my daily routine and balancing my work and personal life, I don't have a ton of advice beyond my last comment. For me work and my personal life are one in the same and I am always juggling between them. My best advice for work is to find something you love doing and then you'll never "work" a day in your life. I don't have that perfectly implemented yet, but I do feel like I am on the right track. You need to follow the things in life that you find important and don't chase the priorities that other people tell you are important.

[@not_lufffy]

I'm an IIT JEE Aspirant in India and these type of videos Inspires me alot🥰

[@DustinBrett]

Happy to hear my video inspired you. I had to look up what a "IIT JEE" was, good luck with that!

[@couoheduardo]

I was living there 2019 , i want to go back, im developer hire me brou jajaja

[@DustinBrett]

It's a great place to live. Come back, we need more good devs. As for hiring, that's not something I have much say in. 🙂

[@ikromjon.sharipov]

I learnt one thing from watching this video: windows + L (I did not know that before)

[@DustinBrett]

Glad to hear I was able to teach something in the video. I've been using Win+L for ages now, it's quite handy.

[@Webster1088]

nice, 90 mins of work in a 6 hour day...

[@DustinBrett]

Thanks! But this video is highly edited. I actually worked almost 120 minutes that day.

[@joe-rq1wq]

@@DustinBrett you worked.... 2 hours???

[@DustinBrett]

@@joe-rq1wq Haha ya but I was in 10x developer mode, so that is like 20 hours of work.

[@reinettetinekerr219]

​@@DustinBrett How to be a 10x dev? I don't want to give up programming but I suck too much :(

[@DustinBrett]

@@reinettetinekerr219 Haha well I don't know if I would say I am 10x, but I do see some developers wasting time by doing things the wrong way, I feel if you can build techniques for finding the quick and right way to do things, then you can feel like a 10x dev when you do something much quicker than others.

[@voidtemp979]

coffee on empty stomach?

[@DustinBrett]

Oh ya for sure! That is part of my routine and it's done me well. Although I've switched to a half cup as I am reducing my caffeine usage. I prefer to have an empty stomach in the morning.

[@zombiezoo1384]

didn't knew there are weebs in microsoft(creativity board on 6th floor)

[@DustinBrett]

Haha ya we have all sorts here. That board has looked that way for years though, so it's possible some people that drew that stuff aren't even there anymore.

[@10percent4DaBigGuy]

LOL that is an awful job! at least my job i get to travel around ride ATV/UTV snowmobiles and get to explore new lands i have never been on! lol when i did live in the city i loved constructing the prisons you all find yourselves trapped working in i like having jobs on the outside of boxes not in the center of them

[@DustinBrett]

I enjoy my job and the office quite a bit. I've never felt like I was in a box/prison. I've travelled around the world and I am happy here where I am. Also have no desire to do anything with ATV/Snowmobiles, but if that is your thing, go for it.

[@JohnDoe-bq5oo]

shows up at 10, works for an hour and a half. takes an hour and a half break, leaves at 4. this is why tech layoffs are happening.

[@DustinBrett]

Haha, it is indeed true that we aren't punching clocks at my office, but the work is getting done also. I also work during my commute from 9:30-10 & 4-4:30, and I don't always take 90 minute breaks, it's usually under 60 but it depends on the day.

[@Tnargav]

Tell me you don't understand development without telling me.