From Denny's Server to Microsoft Engineer: Francisco's Coding Journey

Francisco Gutierrez served pancakes for 13 years. Today he writes code for Microsoft OneDrive, used by millions worldwide. His story shows you that coding careers are possible from any starting point.

The Unexpected Beginning

Francisco moved from Mexico to the US at 15. He spoke no English. High school was tough, but he pushed through and graduated. After community college, life happened. He needed a job. Denny's hired him as a server.

What started as temporary work became 13 years of service. Francisco handled demanding customers, coordinated with kitchen staff, and managed dinner rushes. He even served boxer Canelo Alvarez at the San Diego location.

The restaurant taught him skills he didn't realize he was learning. Communication. Quick decisions under pressure. Problem solving when orders went wrong. These skills would later make him a better engineer.

The MySpace Spark

Francisco's coding journey started with MySpace profile customization. Remember those? You could paste CSS code to change colors and layouts. Francisco copied and pasted like everyone else. Then curiosity hit.

He noticed something. Change "blue" to "red" in the code and the background color changed. This simple discovery hooked him. He started learning HTML and CSS online during free time.

"It felt like playing a video game," Francisco said. "Trying to complete different levels, building something new, changing colors and behaviors. You have ideas and express them with code."

Building Skills While Building Life

From 2010 to 2018, Francisco balanced full-time restaurant work with coding. He completed a web development certificate at community college. He learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL.

Francisco took freelance projects. He built websites for taxi drivers who ate at his restaurant. He created soccer management apps for fun. Money wasn't the goal. Learning was.

This approach worked. No pressure to quit his day job. No financial stress. Just pure learning and exploration while supporting his family.

The Turning Point

By 2018, Francisco was 33 with solid coding skills. He planned to enroll in a four-year computer science program online. Traditional path. Safe choice.

Then fate stepped in. A Udacity scholarship ad appeared. Francisco applied. On the day he was supposed to register for university, Udacity accepted him into their "Grow with Google" program. Full scholarship. Less time than a degree.

He chose the scholarship.

Udacity: More Than Just Code

The Mobile Web Specialist Nanodegree updated Francisco's skills from 2010 standards to current industry practices. But the real value came from three things he was missing:

Network connections. Francisco met career-changers sharing experiences and industry knowledge. Through them, he learned about apprenticeship programs at Adobe, AT&T, LinkedIn, and Microsoft.

Career services. Resume building, cover letter writing, job search guidance. Critical skills for transitioning from service industry to tech.

Industry partnerships. Direct pathways to internships through Udacity's company relationships.

Breaking Into Microsoft

Francisco set his sights on Microsoft LEAP, a 16 week apprenticeship for people with non-traditional backgrounds. The program combines classroom learning with real engineering projects.

His first application? Rejected.

Francisco didn't quit. He updated his resume, sought advice from Udacity career services, and applied again. LEAP encourages multiple applications. Persistence matters more than perfection.

Second application? Accepted.

Francisco moved from San Diego to Washington, leaving family behind to focus completely on this opportunity.

Proving Worth at Microsoft

LEAP came with no job guarantee. Just potential. Francisco joined the OneDrive team working with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, and Redux.

His restaurant skills transferred perfectly. Communication with team members. Staying calm under deadline pressure. Quick decision making with limited information. Customer focus.

Francisco impressed his team. They created a position for him. October 2019: Software Engineer at Microsoft. September 2023: promoted to Software Engineer 2.

Your Path Forward

Francisco's journey offers clear lessons for your coding career:

Start with curiosity. Small sparks grow into careers. Francisco's MySpace customization became a Microsoft engineering role.

Learn as a hobby first. Eight years of part-time coding built Francisco's foundation without financial pressure. You don't need to quit your job immediately.

Network actively. Francisco's biggest regret is not networking sooner. Connections lead to opportunities like LEAP that you won't find on job boards.

Embrace rejection. Francisco's Microsoft rejection motivated improvement, not surrender. Many programs encourage multiple applications.

Use transferable skills. Your current job teaches valuable skills for tech. Francisco's service experience made him a better engineer.

Focus on growth mindset. Companies want people who learn and adapt, not people with perfect credentials.

The Reality Check

Francisco works on features used globally. His OneDrive admin settings save time for administrators worldwide. Simple features. Massive impact.

"People all over the world were using it and making their lives easier," Francisco said. "That feeling drives everything."

Today Francisco encourages others: "Tech careers are suitable for people with non-traditional backgrounds. Start playing with code. Resources are everywhere. Once you like it, identify the path to where you want to be."

Your background doesn't limit your future. Francisco proved that serving pancakes prepares you for shipping code. The question isn't whether you can break into tech. The question is when you'll start.