When I got a job offer to be a campus recruiter at Microsoft in 1991, I had no idea how much good fortune was heading my way. I was 25 years old. The company was booming, and its employees were young, ambitious, and out to change the world. My starting salary was $26,000, which was a big jump from the $19,500 I’d been making as an account coordinator in advertising. In fact, the offer was so good that I barely listened as my new manager explained the biannual reviews, bonuses, salary increases, and stock options.