Wow! It’s been 5 years since my first Microsoft MVP award. If you don’t know what the Microsoft MVP program is, check this site . Throughout the years, I have transitioned from various categories and technology award. In particular, Windows Development (Windows 8/8.1/10/RT and XAML), to Developer Technologies (C#, .NET, Xamarin), to Azure with focus on Blockchain, PAAS (Platform as a Service), and Integrations.
In those years, I’ve seen Microsoft and the MVP program changed a lot (for the better). Products have changed, a lot of new services emerged, new categories introduced, and a big push on Cloud (Azure and Microsoft 365). Open source also became a norm, and a lot of complex service offerings were simplified and subsidised into a managed service.
The journey began when I was back in Philippines and got exposed to the Microsoft development communities. These different thought leaders inspired me, and ought I’ll follow the same path. Since then, I have been to different cities and countries - and it’s astonishing to see how people use technology (mostly related to Microsoft) to solve problems. Being part of the community brought so much for me, in particular the people I have met. I learned a lot from them (still do). That also gave me motivation to present to audiences and mentor different teams and individuals. I just like it when I share my knowledge and experience - and people find it useful.
The program helped a lot in my career. It complements to what I do on a day-to-day basis. I use various Microsoft and related technologies to create valued products and services to organizations and individuals. It gave me a lot of networking and sales opportunities (within and outside of Microsoft) that I may have not materialized without the people I’ve met in the community. I also get to see products, services, and features early on and make strategic decisions on where to invest my learning capacity for the future. It’s nice to be part of this journey, even if you’re not working for the company.
Being in this program provides me a pathway for continuous learning and continuous sharing. I’ve had opportunities to present at various user-groups, conferences (even organise some), write a book, do webinars, product reviews, and so much more. I have mentored and befriended some of the best technologist I’ve met (some are now MVPs too) and I will continue to share my passion to the next person I’ll meet. The award is meaningless if it’s not for the community and people you interact with. For me, this is a commitment to say that I’m always here when someone needs a helping hand or two in their technology problems.
Where do I go from this? My career was born on the cloud. There’s just so much to learn, work on, collaborate, and share to the community. I was lucky that I’ve got to work on these different technologies and see them grow. Some of my focus for the next year ahead includes: Cloud Native (AKS and Terraform in particular), AI workloads on Cloud, and Edge computing.
Since it’s a new normal now to present at webinars and virtual events, I’ll be taking part more into that space. I’m also co-authoring a new “hands-on” book. A podcast is also on the way. Last, I will do my best to write more technical blogs (coming soon).