Getting to know datacenter employees: Geormain James-Turner
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 seek 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 Geormain James-Turner
Datacenter Technician
Des Moines, Iowa
Employee since December 2022
Early days
Geormain grew up with a single mother, and his dream as a kid was always to go into the MLB for professional baseball. After a shoulder injury ended that dream, Geormain had to figure out what he wanted to do that wasn’t in the athletic field. He was introduced to technology by talking with a Microsoft employee and thought it was a great idea. “Technology offers a place where you can provide value in the marketplace, and I was intrigued by that.”
The path to technology
Geormain’s uncle runs a nonprofit and Microsoft partnered with them for a conference. Through his uncle, Geormain was connected to the Microsoft employee who told him all about the Datacenter Academy. Geormain is still taking classes in the Academy and notes that the hardware class gave him a lot of the basic knowledge he needs to carry out his current job. He says that the information and instructors that are provided through the Academy classes have set him up to be successful and comfortable as a datacenter technician.
Superpowers
Geormain believes that his biggest strength is mental positivity. Sometimes one ticket can take several hours to complete, and Geormain says that having a positive outlook and remaining optimistic about his work helps him go through the sequences and processes that he needs for each ticket. “A willingness to figure it out and complete a task is something that gets you through it. I get a dopamine hit when I fix something.”
A day in the life
When Geormain gets to work he quickly collaborates with his teams and looks at all the tickets in the queue. He scrubs through the history of what happened with the ticket or groups of tickets. He will then attend a group meeting about safety and the daily agenda. After that, Geormain and his team will get started on the tickets, which include a range and variety of tasks.
Favorite childhood food
Geormain’s favorite snack as a kid were Snickers bars. “Snickers were the key to my success in athletics.”
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