Getting to know datacenter employees: D’Andrea 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 D’Andrea (Dee) Turner
Datacenter Technician
Leesburg, Virginia
Employee since 2023
Early days
Born and raised in Loudoun County, Virginia, D’Andrea became an EMT at 16, intending to go to medical school to be an orthopedic surgeon. She attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she received a BA in Psychology, managed a movie theater for seven years, and went to the New England Culinary Institute where she trained to be a pastry chef. D’Andrea worked at major hotels, cooked for MLB rookies and the Congressional Black Caucus, and more.
The path to technology
After nearly 12 years as a pastry chef and working at a senior living facility, D’Andrea wanted to transition into a new career that allowed for more growth occupationally and financially. A coworker told her about the new NOVA Datacenter Academy and she applied as soon as applications were open. She was accepted and received her CompTIA certifications in ITF+ and Cloud+ Essentials and was chosen to intern at Microsoft. At the end of the internship, D’Andrea was offered a role as a full-time datacenter technician, which she accepted.
Superpowers
D’Andrea’s biggest asset on the job is her willingness and ability to learn. She came into the job with very little technology knowledge, so she had to start from the ground up.
A day in the life
On a normal day, D’Andrea will get to work and see what tasks have been assigned to her and work through them accordingly. Lately she has also been learning deployments, and her days are spent working on new racks to ensure all links and devices are up.
Favorite childhood food
It was always a good night for D’Andrea when her parents made macaroni and cheese for dinner. Meatloaf was another favorite of hers. “My dad used to put onions in the mac and cheese, which my sister and I would loudly complain about each time, but we still ate it. Not going to lie, now as an adult, I kind of like the onions in it,” D’Andrea said.
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