What is MSSA?
My MSSA Experience - Part 1
Introduction
Welcome to the inaugural post in my blog series, "My MSSA Experience." Throughout this series, I will write about my experience as a Cloud Application Developer in the CAD15 MSSA admission.
The purpose of this series is to offer my personal perspective on the program and its effectiveness in transitioning people into the tech industry. I am aiming to give a practical look at the entire process from start to finish. This will include "what MSSA is" and the application process, all the way through the job search, graduation, and onwards.
I have received permission from Microsoft to share my own experience and plan to give as much detail as possible, while still maintaining integrity of sensitive program aspects, such as the specific interview questions asked during the application process.
Okay, now that's over. Without further ado, let's jump right in.
MSSA == Microsoft Software and Systems Academy.
In a world of acronyms that mean several things, I wanted to define the MSSA acronym up front. Now, "what even is" MSSA? Straight from Microsoft's website:
Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA) is a full-time, 17-week technical training program leading to in-demand careers in cloud development, cloud administration, and related fields.
Okay, that's a tad more descriptive, but still not grasping it Pat.
Got it, let's cut to the chase.
Program Overview
MSSA is a transitioning service member, veteran, and military-spouse oriented program that is aimed to guide the transition into the IT industry. This program targets people that have a passion for IT, but currently have little to no experience in it.
There is also an option for people that do have IT experience and want to pursue a more advanced path in the cybersecurity world.
MSSA offers high quality technical training on a chosen learning path, teaching the "hard skills" that service members often feel they are lacking when transitioning into the civilian sector.
On top of that, MSSA also offers professional development training that is of equal quality to the technical training. This professional development includes many of the topics that you go through during your Transition Assistance Program (TAP), but on a whole other level.
As stated before, the program lasts 17-weeks and aims to have you career-ready and placed into IT industry employment by the end of the program. It is meant to be a whirlwind of accelerated growth for its participants. Many of the people in my own cohort share the sentiment of "winning the transition lottery," when we were accepted into the program.
Let's dive in deeper.
I used to be a big gamer in school, and while adult life has made gaming a little sparse for me, I still have inklings of the gaming mindset in everyday life.
Reading about "The Three Learning Paths" that MSSA offers for its core program spurred my nostalgia with MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games for the uninitiated), where you would "pick your class" and that would define your gaming experience. I was always a stealth rogue; in case you were wondering.
Anyways, here are the three learning paths for the core MSSA program:
- Cybersecurity Operations (CSO) As the name suggests, CSO teaches cybersecurity fundamentals paired with the networking and server infrastructure knowledge needed to be successful in the field. CSO will allow you to defend IT infrastructures against cyberattacks in cloud environments and technologies.
- Security Operations Analyst
- Cybersecurity Solution Analyst
- Security Technical Specialist
- Security Engineer
- Server Cloud Administration (SCA)
- IT Network Support Engineer
- Project / Program Manager
- IT Sales / Consultant
- Technical Account Manager
- Cloud Application Development (CAD)
- Software Engineer
- Service Engineer
- Customer Success Engineer
- Database Engineer
- Technical Project / Program Manager
This learning path is unique, as it is made specifically for people with two or more years of cybersecurity experience, including network and server operating systems. This learning path targets the following industry roles:
SCA teaches fundamental networking and Windows Server administration concepts. SCA creates system administrators that can install, configure, manage, and support IT resources on premises in cloud and hybrid environments. This learning path targets the following industry roles:
CAD teaches you software development, with the primary context being the .NET ecosystem. You will learn the C# programming language, receive training on data structures and algorithms, and work directly with .NET MAUI, Azure, and cloud technologies. This learning path targets the following industry roles:
From what I've heard from past participants and current cohorts, you will receive high quality training in all three learning paths. The challenge is figuring out what learning path fits you the best.
I recommend researching more about the target jobs for each path. This should give you an idea of the "end goal" of MSSA. After that, practice some self-reflection on what you are passionate about. That should push you towards one of the choices.
Remember when I mentioned "professional development" training earlier? That is the "other half" that I'm referring to here.
As we all know, the transition out of the military has many aspects to it, not least of which are the "softer skills" of resume writing, answering behavioral interview questions, tailoring your LinkedIn profiles, and networking (bleh).
This all probably sounds familiar, as these are all topics that are most likely addressed in your TAP classes, at varying levels of quality.
MSSA's Professional Development, also known as ProDev, is on a whole other level.
Microsoft brings in the big guns here, with each cohort having an assigned Career Development Manager (CDM). Your CDM is like your "homeroom" teacher as well as the lead for your professional development training. In addition to taking care of all the administrative items required in the program, they provide the tailored touch for each person with reference interview training, resume edits, LinkedIn tailoring, and much more.
I can't speak highly enough of CDM's, as they really are great people whose goal is to get YOU where you want to be, and they have the skills and network to back it.
And that's not all!
The program also gives you additional professional development AND technical mentors, straight from Microsoft! These people are subject matter experts in their respective jobs and volunteer to be mentors for MSSA. They are typically (but not required) veterans themselves and have a desire to give back. In other words, you are getting access to current industry experts that chose to be there for you.
See what I mean when I say MSSA ProDev is on another level?
Don't worry we're getting close to the end. A few more thoughts that I think you'll be interested in.
MSSA has a Hiring Partner Program where interested companies can partner with Microsoft and offer job opportunities that are tailored to the skill sets in which the program equips its people.
This is a huge deal, as there is always a lot of stress when it comes to applying to jobs in the "real world." It's easy to get imposter syndrome, where you think you don't belong in the hiring pool along with every other person that is obviously more talented and experienced than you are.
That was sarcasm, if you didn't catch it.
Now, I don't want to take away from how competitive and skilled you can become through MSSA. If the last 3-weeks of my CAD cohort experience is any indication, we'll be learning how to automate interstellar travel by next month.
But Microsoft goes above and beyond in getting you employed in IT, bringing in companies that want to hire MSSA graduates specifically. These companies know the program, have hired graduates before, and have a veteran-ready environment to onboard you to your new career.
This is not something you get everywhere, especially with this level of quality.
This section is short, but extremely important for any service member looking at SkillBridge opportunities, also known as Career Skills Program for my Army folk.
The amount of dedicated transition work into the tech industry that this program will give you is unmatched.
My advice? Talk to your command EARLY and OFTEN. This will always be the best way to get the support you need to have a smooth transition.
This is my to-be-copyrighted saying to rival the Army's Bottom Line Up Front, also known as BLUF. While it definitely has its applications, I do think that there is something artful in building up to your point in a final conclusion.
And speaking of final conclusions...
We as service members spend our entire career giving ourselves to the unit's mission. This lifestyle comes with countless sacrifices for something bigger than ourselves. While serving, I think this is one of the most important ideas to keep at heart.
Fast forward to the end of a service member's career, whether that be three years or thirty years. The decision to leave the military has been made, and the torch passed to those that take our place.
It is at this point that I think one of the most important ideas to keep at heart is to fully commit to your transition. This transition sets you and your families up for the next chapter in your lives. Whatever your plans are post-military, that is not to be taken lightly.
If you are looking to pivot into tech, MSSA is an incredible program that gives its participants a golden opportunity to make that pivot. Microsoft brings out all the stops here, and I couldn't be happier with my experience so far.
Keep in mind, while the application process itself is straight forward, program admission is quite competitive. If you are interested in learning more about the application process, make sure to look out for my next post detailing my experience. Until then!
Cheers,
Pat