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Monique Nichols

Software development

Monique Nichols(she/her)

Produce Mgr. Microsoft AMPX Team · Microsoft

Bachelors Purdue University

Monique Nichols is a product leader at Microsoft, where she helps shape OneNote — a platform used by millions of people worldwide — by turning complex technical challenges into simple, meaningful experiences for everyday users. She built her career at the intersection of technology, user experience, and product innovation, proving that curiosity and a passion for solving real problems can open doors in the tech industry. A Purdue University graduate, Monique is passionate about showing the next generation that there is a place for them in product management and tech leadership.

Their story

Program Mgr. MICROSOFT. Don't give up, be tenacious, If it's for you, it wont miss you.

17 min

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Key quotes

“If it's for you, it won't miss you. Just keep running at it with all you got and you'll be successful on the other side.”

Monique Nichols, Program Manager at Microsoft

“I wasn't willing to accept no. And I just kept knocking on doors.”

Monique Nichols, Program Manager at Microsoft

“My goal is that, yeah, it was this hard for me, but I hope I can make it easier for you.”

Monique Nichols, Program Manager at Microsoft

“Instead of teaching them coping strategies, which you see a lot, maybe try and correct the situation for them if you have the influence to do that.”

Monique Nichols, Program Manager at Microsoft

“You'd be surprised when you tell someone what you're trying to accomplish, how many people they know that can help you get there.”

Monique Nichols, Program Manager at Microsoft

Career highlights

You don't need a tech degree — or even a bachelor's degree — to break into product management at a major tech company.

Monique has a degree in Women and Gender Sexuality Studies and says many of her friends without college degrees hold the same type of role she does at Microsoft. She says the minimum is a high school diploma and a genuine passion for technology.

Getting rejected doesn't mean it's over. Keep going back.

Monique was waitlisted the first time she applied to the Microsoft LEAP program and rejected outright the second time. She applied a third time, gave it everything she had, and got in. She spent two full years trying to break into tech before landing her role.

Make your unrelated experience feel relevant by translating it — don't hide it.

After running a trucking company for two years post-college, Monique had to figure out how to show that entrepreneurship and business ownership actually mapped to what tech companies were looking for in a PM.

Negotiate your salary before you accept the offer — not after you've already started.

Monique breaks down total comp at Microsoft (base salary, stock, signing bonus, relocation) and specifically calls the signing bonus the most negotiable part. She says trying to negotiate once you're inside the company is much harder.

If you see something biased in a job posting or interview process, speak up — and as you grow, fix it for the people coming behind you.

Monique talks about how language like 'rockstar' in job postings discourages women from applying, and how questions like 'explain an API to your mother' carry implicit gender bias. She encourages students not just to cope with these things but to correct them when they have influence.

Look up the Microsoft LEAP program — it's specifically designed for people from non-traditional backgrounds who want to break into tech.

This is the program Monique used to get her foot in the door at Microsoft. It gave her a structured path in without a traditional CS background.

Student summary
Monique Nichols is a Program Manager at Microsoft working on OneNote, one of the most widely used productivity apps in the world. But her path to tech was anything but straight. She started college at Purdue planning to become a doctor, switched to Women and Gender Sexuality Studies when medicine wasn't the right fit, ran her own trucking company after graduation, and then spent two years grinding her way into tech — including two rejections from Microsoft before finally landing a spot through the Microsoft LEAP program, which is designed specifically for people from non-traditional backgrounds. As a Program Manager, Monique sits between the business and the engineering team. Her job is to deeply understand what customers need — by talking to them, digging into data, and studying how people actually use the product — and then bring those insights back to the engineers so they know what to build. She describes the role as dynamic and sometimes ambiguous, which she personally loves. If you enjoy solving fuzzy problems and working across a lot of different people and teams, product or program management might be the right lane for you. One of the most eye-opening parts of Monique's story is what she shares about money and education. At Microsoft, her total compensation in her first year was around $175,000 — and she didn't need a tech degree to get there. She's clear that while a bachelor's degree can help, many top tech companies no longer require one, and several of her friends without college degrees are doing the same job. What matters most is genuine passion for technology and the ability to communicate why you want to be in the field. Monique also gets real about what it's like to be a woman of color in tech. She talks about microaggressions, biased interview questions, and how LinkedIn's algorithm can keep opportunities hidden from people who don't already have the right connections. She doesn't sugarcoat it, but she also doesn't let it be the whole story. Her message is that yes, it will be hard — but it is worth it, and your job as you climb is to make it easier for the people coming behind you. For students of color who feel like tech isn't a space made for them, Monique's story is a direct response to that feeling. She got told no multiple times, she came from an unrelated field, she worked unpaid internships and three side jobs at once — and she still made it. Her advice is simple: be tenacious, negotiate your salary, find your authentic reason for being in tech, and never stop knocking on doors.