Army veteran transitions from military medic to Microsoft coder, thanks to academy

[Guest Michael Wann]

Former Army medic Rachel Woolley now works for Microsoft. (Photo credit: Scott Eklund, Red Box Pictures)

 

 

In her former life, Rachel Woolley was an Army medic for convoy platoons in Iraq. She completed her service at Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. While there, she qualified for a program that launched last year – the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy, a program that taps active-duty service members for long-term careers in technology.

 

In Woolley’s case, it turns out that the same analytical thinking and problem-solving skills she developed as an Army medic also are serving her well as a software developer. She now works as a service engineer on Microsoft’s SharePoint Online team.

 

Microsoft Software & Systems Academy, a 16-week technical boot camp that teaches soldiers all about writing code in Basic, C#, JavaScript and HTML5, has since expanded to Fort Hood in Texas and Camp Pendleton in California, with plans for additional growth in the near future.

 

Read more about Woolley’s story and about how the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy is helping veterans transition back to civilian life.

 

Suzanne Choney

Microsoft News Center Staff

 

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