Cloud & AI Specialist
Name: Carlo Schmid
Age: 38
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
Profession: Cloud & AI Specialist
Employer: Microsoft
Describe your job in one sentence.
I am the interface between people, technology, and business.
What are the three main tasks in your job?
- Understanding the needs and challenges of my customers.
- Translating how technological solutions can create concrete added value.
- Ensuring communication between customers, internal teams, and partners.
What do you think is the best / most exciting thing about this job?
The constant interaction with different customers, as well as the high degree of flexibility and personal responsibility in shaping my daily work routine.
What is the biggest challenge in this job?
Not everything is within your control: sometimes you do a very good job objectively and still lose a project or fail to achieve the desired result.
What does it take to enter this profession or to be successful in it?
A university degree, a genuine interest in technology, and above all, enjoy working with people. Curiosity, a willingness to learn, and communication skills are essential.
What promotion/further development opportunities are there?
Advancement is primarily based on seniority. In addition, there are various internal roles with similar profiles that allow you to switch to different areas or departments and address different topics or contact persons on the customer side. There is also the opportunity to develop further in the direction of management.
What would you have liked to have known about this profession as a graduate?
How important personal relationships and networks are—both for getting started and for long-term movement and visibility in the industry.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in this job?
Start actively exploring the professional field early on—ideally while you are still studying. If you wait until you need to get started, you're often already too late. Continue your education, even outside of the academic setting, and build a network early on. And if the opportunity for a graduate program arises, be sure to take advantage of it.
In terms of your career, is there anything you would do differently looking back? Why?
No. My career has enabled me to live abroad, get to know different cultures, and have both good and difficult experiences. The difficult experiences are particularly valuable. Relationships and your own reputation stay with you for the long term.
Is there anything else you would like to pass on to current students?
Focus primarily on what really interests you—not just what might promise the highest financial return. Long-term success is much more likely if you have a genuine interest in what you do.
As of March 2026