Getting to know datacenter employees: Elliot Lindberg
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 Elliot Lindberg
Datacenter Technician
Gävle, Sweden
Employee since 2022
Early days
Elliot grew up in Gävle, Sweden with his mother, father, and big sister. His father always had an interest in computers and technology and got Elliot his first PC when Elliot was around three years old. Elliot has used a computer for education and play ever since. In his family, Elliot and his father were the ones most interested in technology. Elliot’s father works as an IT consultant, and Elliot remembers learning a lot from him growing up. “Whenever I had questions or problems, I always asked my father. He is my role model and was an idol for me growing up.” Elliot always wanted to take steps like his father, so it was natural for him to follow the same professional path.
The path to technology
Elliot moved to Sandviken, Sweden in 2019 because it was more convenient to live near where his father worked. Sandviken is a very small town, and word spread quickly when Microsoft began to build a datacenter. Elliot heard about the new Datacenter Academy program through friends and the newspaper. It was hard to miss an opportunity like that, and Elliot soon applied to the Datacenter Academy. The nine-month program was perfect for Elliot because he prefers a more hands-on, practical education. His education in Sweden prior to the datacenter was focused on a teacher-led model that didn’t suit his learning style. For Elliot, the academy was more practical, and he always had something to do in the server room at the school. “I think [the academy] is one of a kind here in Sweden.”
Superpowers
Elliot’s superpower is that he always listens. He knows that there are more experienced people than him. If he doesn’t know the answer, he can always find someone that does and learn from them. Elliot wants to keep every door open for the future. “There are so many opportunities at Microsoft,” Elliot says.
A day in the life
A typical day for Elliot starts off with a morning meeting. Technicians from the sites in Gävle and Sandviken meet to discuss topics like safety, the status of all sites, how many tickets they have in the queue, and how they are planning the day. After that, Elliot gets to work on either the tickets in the queue or smaller side projects. Elliot’s favorite kind of work is when he can do his own thing. But for now, some things are a bit challenging for him because he is still so new and has never done some of the procedures before.
Favorite childhood food
When Elliot was little, his mother would make “pancake cake” for his birthdays. “The idea comes from a Swedish cartoon where you stack pancakes, cream, and jam until you have a whole cake. That is probably my favorite.” His mother still makes it for him, and this year he got a version of the pancake cake for his summer birthday.
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