Getting to know datacenter employees: Abdullah Bell
Microsoft’s success depends on our people. We are proud to introduce some of the talented folks in your community who work in our global datacenters. Discover what inspired them to pursue a career in the tech industry, the different pathways they pursued, and what a day in the life of a datacenter employee looks like.
Introducing Abdullah Bell
Content Developer
Charlotte, NC
Employee since 2020
Early days
Abdullah Bell was raised in Virginia with three brothers and two sisters. He began community college seeking to expand his perspectives and stand on his own two feet. Abdullah had high aspirations, but also had no idea what he wanted to study. He became a student at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston and decided on digital arts and design. This started a passion for photography that he has held for a lifetime. Once his classes were complete, Abdullah was recommended to join a program called the IT Academy. He started classes and began his journey into the world of technology.
The path to technology
During Abdullah’s time at the IT Academy, he was referred to an apprenticeship position at a vehicle research company and got the job! He received a promotion to full-time engineer after his first year. It was at this point in Abdullah’s life that he gained confidence in his ability to learn. He realized that with time and dedication he could learn what he needed to do to achieve his goals. He decided to join Microsoft as a datacenter technician with hopes to move to a position in Redmond. Abdullah worked as a datacenter technician for a year and studied the Azure ecosystem during this time.
Abdullah was then hired as a support engineer in 2021 and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Not Redmond, but close enough. He continued in this position for a year, and in 2022 he transitioned to a new position as a Content Developer. Abdullah works in Azure and loves every minute of it.
Superpowers
Abdullah attributes his success to all who supported, mentored, and advocated for him. He considers them his greatest superpower.
His most useful skills are his ability to learn new technologies and his adaptiveness. This is key for his work in Azure as many technologies are intertwined. “Technology can change daily, and I must stay up to date to keep the documentation fresh. I especially enjoy this as I am always learning and enhancing my technical skills.”
A day in the life
Abdullah’s day starts with enjoying the morning and focusing on his mental health. He then begins his work by checking his emails and his to-do list. “I have set priorities and must check in with the stakeholders of the technologies I am writing on.” With this information he will update documentation and write new documents to match the changes. He will often create labs to confirm the documentation is consistent and easy to follow.
Creating labs is Abdullah’s favorite thing to work on. He enjoys taking the time to build out environments and learn new ways to utilize Azure.
Favorite childhood food
Abdullah’s favorite childhood food is cheesecake. He loved baking and trying new recipes with interesting toppings. He tried pear sauce, banana sauce, and even passionfruit. His favorite flavor is lemon cheesecake with cherry sauce.
