The Making the Move series strives to inspire those who come from different (non-tech) backgrounds and want to break into the world of tech. Here’s a secret… You don’t need to be a computer science or software engineering major! This is #MakingTheMove story features someone who came from a teaching background.
Teaching has been one of the most impactful and fulfilling parts of my career. I am always looking for opportunities where I can match that kind of impact in my communities!
Salonee Shah studied marketing and psychology because of her natural curiosity about people. In another life, she might’ve become a therapist… but as a first-gen Indian immigrant, she felt pressured to choose something “practical” like business or engineering.
After graduating, she spent two years teaching information and communication technology to 120 students in rural Mississippi communities with limited access to resources. Her students were learning new productivity skills from typing on a computer to creating emails, websites, and presentations.
Eventually, Salonee became an Assistant Principal at Houston non-profit, Citizen Schools, where she worked closely with 21 teachers to serve 300 students. The curriculum provided 6th graders with learning, apprenticeships, and volunteer opportunities with local businesses. In this role, Salonee learned how to staff, lead, and coach teachers to improve the student experience.
Advancing from MBA to Microsoft
Her experience and conversations with other teachers inspired her to go back to school and find a way to improve the teaching experience. She wanted to broaden her impact beyond the classroom and make the lives of teachers easier. She pursued her MBA at the University of Michigan, where she learned about the world of HR, which was also focused on taking care of people inside of organizations.
Her MBA opened the doors to Microsoft, where she joined the HR Development Program as an MBA summer intern. This eventually led to a full-time position as a Learning & Development Consultant where she focused on onboarding and learning strategy for new employees. The next year, she became an HR Business Partner that focused on researching future workplace trends and supporting the CTO’s team with talent management and organizational design.
In her third year at Microsoft, Salonee established one of the most pivotal relationships in her career.
As she took on a new role outside of HR, she wanted to stay connected with the organization and asked a senior leader to be her mentor. They continued to stay in touch even after Salonee left Microsoft to work at an education startup.
That mentor turned out to be Amy Coleman, who became Microsoft’s Chief People Officer in 2025, and tapped Salonee for the opportunity to return to Microsoft as her Chief of Staff!
Becoming Chief of Staff
If you’re not familiar with the position title: the Chief of Staff serves as a trusted advisor and strategic thought partner to executives and their leadership teams. Chiefs of Staff are strong operators who have strong knowledge and understanding of the team’s function (e.g. HR, IT, Sales) and day-to-day business. They must be skilled at framing different perspectives and ideas for their leaders to make informed decisions on.
Salonee says that no two days are the same, and a big part of the role is simplifying complex information. And fortunately, this was a transferrable skill she picked up on as a teacher!
Just recently, Salonee transitioned from her role as Chief of Staff to Senior Director of Strategic People Initiatives, where she is tapping back into her educator roots and leading Microsoft’s early-in-profession strategy.
Embracing career reinvention
Salonee describes her career as “full of unexpected turns and career paths,” which she has always embraced thanks to the journey of her Mom, who started off in India as a laboratory technician, moved to the U.S. and worked in retail to improve her English, explored database management, and eventually worked in hospital laboratories.
Here’s Salonee’s advice for making the move in your own career:
- Check in with yourself and ask if you’re still learning or if you want to try something different. It may be a signal to change if you’re starting to feel bored, even if you’re good at the work.
- Career transitions can feel frightening, but lean into this fear. Even when you feel ready, it may take 6-8 months before you actually change jobs.
- Find leaders whose values align with yours (knowing them beforehand can establish trust). Choose functions or teams that genuinely interest you because deep curiosity about the work matters.
- Identify what energizes you and what skills you bring beyond your current job title. For example, teaching gave Salonee hands-on experience with data, storytelling, and project management.
- Rejection is a normal part of the process. Find ways to get your foot in the door first and build transferable skills like curiosity, critical thinking, and judgement.
Standing out in this job market
Reflect on who you are, where you want to go, and what excites you about the work.
As a hiring manager, Salonee believes that “skill and will” take you far in today’s job market:
- Bring a strong point of view that shows you’ve thought deeply about a topic.
- Go beyond your hard skills and technical capabilities. Reflect on whether the company, role, and work genuinely excite you and find a way to express your connection to that purpose.
- Your success and impact depends on people wanting to collaborate with you. Show how you are a great communicator and influencer.
Final tips for telling your authentic career story
- Keep your story succinct. Be clear and compelling in 2 minutes.
- Don’t underestimate the power of self reflection. It’s easier to tell your story when you know yourself.
- Avoid telling a story that the hiring manager wants to hear. Focus more on what you’re genuinely excited about.
Thanks for reading 🌻
Thank you so much to Salonee for taking the time to share her unique career journey with us! I hope this inspires you if you are interested in joining big tech but have no idea where to start. There’s definitely a path forward and there are so many resources that you can leverage (like Microsoft Learn where I got my technical certifications).
Find more inspiring stories in my #MakingTheMove series!