Personal Posts May 11, 2024 4

How did I become a Microsoft MVP

On a snowy morning, while snowboarding down the slopes of Sölden (Austria), I received something memorable. I stepped onto a Gondola (Ski lift) to reach the top of the mountain and read the following email.

I was very proud and beyond excited to tell my family and friends about this, what felt like an amazing achievement. After reading the email multiple times to be sure I wasn’t dreaming, I went down the mountain to have lunch with my girlfriend and share, who didn’t join me because of bad weather. Check out this stunning view from the mountaintop on this day.

In this post, let me share my personal story on how I became a Microsoft MVP and my thoughts on what it takes to become one, hoping that it will inspire others to start sharing and become MVPs themselves. The post will include the following sections;

Before I dive in, let me quickly share Microsoft’s definition of the Microsoft MVP award for those who don’t know anything about it.

“The Microsoft MVP Award is an annual award that recognizes exceptional technology community leaders worldwide who actively share their high-quality, real-world expertise with users and Microsoft.”

How my passion for community started

Back in 2018, I worked for a small Microsoft Partner in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, called New Media 2Day. That year, I had the opportunity to visit Microsoft Ignite in Orlando with my CTO, René Smit.

This was actually my first time attending a conference at all, which made the whole experience feel new and very exciting. Thousands of people (and lucky me) got the opportunity to meet and learn from all these fantastic people, many of whom were Microsoft MVPs. Being in that place at that time is where my passion for community began.

Over the next few years, I visited other local events, met some great people, and attended inspiring sessions from Microsoft MVPs with deep knowledge of Microsoft products. I didn’t feel intimidated by them, but I definitely looked up to them.

After years of only thinking about it, I set some new goals, and I was ready to start sharing myself.

Finding my way to start sharing

I began by deciding what types of content I was comfortable sharing and how I wanted to share them. I knew I liked writing blog posts, as I had some experience writing them for my company sometimes, even though they were less technical. So, step one was clear: Let’s create a website and start sharing! 

I also love learning about new technology and sparring with other professionals. So, I joined the Microsoft Security Customer Connection (CCP) program, which is a great way to engage with the Microsoft Product team on roadmap calls, feedback sessions, surveys, private previews, and more fun stuff. Sign up here if you want to join!

Besides that, I looked at what other MVPs were doing, and most of them were focusing their contribution efforts on one particular subject only. I knew I wanted to cover a wide range of Microsoft Security topics and didn’t want to limit myself to only picking one subject.

Some of the MVPs also seemed to be some kind of social media influencers, especially in the way they act on LinkedIn. That frightened me a little bit because I am not that extrovert. For context, I didn’t even join the Facebook hype when it became popular; social media was just not my thing. 

I quickly realized that the only way I would be comfortable sharing is to do it my own way. My advice would be to find the things you enjoy doing. Do not look at others too much. Doing things that other people like to do will make you miserable in the long run.

Doing things that are scary

In 2022, I got the chance to visit the Microsoft Ignite conference for the second time. This time, I went for my employer, 2source4, with my colleague and maestro Rieël Wouter. 

During the conference, I attended a data security session from a well-known speaker and Microsoft MVP named David Drever. After the session ended, I liked how he delivered it: he was calm, knowledgeable, and passionate. I spoke with David after his session, and we sparred on encryption, data loss prevention, and licensing. After our conversation, I felt a little bit of confidence that maybe I could prepare and give a similar session one day. 

I returned home with a new dream: to experience public speaking and speak at Microsoft Ignite one day. First, I started writing up some session titles and descriptions and submitting them at conferences and local meetups. Sadly, the session I submitted for the Experts Live Netherlands conference was declined. But I asked Kenneth van Surkum (one of the organizers and MVPs) if I could attend the speakers training meant for accepted speakers, and the answer was yes!

A week before Experts Live, Kenneth emailed me to let me know that a speaker had dropped out at the last minute and asked if I wanted to fill the spot, mainly because I had shown interest in the speaker’s training. I was absolutely terrified but said yes and started working overtime to prepare for my session. 

Can you see the fear in my eyes as the attendees filled my room moments before my session started? 

Don’t let that scare you off, though. The moment my session started, I was very comfortable, and that fear was almost completely gone. I was very happy with how it went! 

How do you “actually” become a Microsoft MVP?

So, how do you actually become a Microsoft MVP? It’s a simple 3-step process.

  1. You need to be nominated for the award by another Microsoft MVP (or Microsoft Employee), so the first step is for the community to notice your contributions. 
  2. After nomination, you’ll receive an email that you have been nominated for the award. Microsoft asks you to fill in a form with questions and submit your contributions to the community from the previous 12 months.
  3. After submission, the Microsoft MVP committee will decide if your efforts made enough impact in the community to earn you the MVP award and title. You’ll receive the result (usually) within three months; in my case, this took a little longer.

Even though the process sounds simple, it really does help to have another Microsoft MVP help you out with the details. For example, I found it helpful to know what types of activities were available for submission. 

If you’re also interested, here is the list of currently available activities.

  • Blog
  • Book/E-book
  • Article
  • Podcast
  • Webinar/Online Training/Video/Livestream
  • Content Feedback and Editing
  • Online Support
  • Open Source/Project/Sample code/Tools
  • Product Feedback
  • Mentorship/coaching
  • Speaker/Presenter at Microsoft Event
  • Speaker/Presenter at Third-party event
  • User Group owner

My good friend Koos Goossens, a fellow Dutch Microsoft Security MVP, nominated me and helped me through the process, for which I am really grateful. Along with three others, Koos and I also co-organize the monthly Microsoft Dutch Security Meetup. These meetups are lots of fun and a great way to share knowledge and experiences. If you’re Dutch and interested, you can join our community here.

After becoming a Microsoft MVP, you’ll sign an NDA and be rewarded with some benefits, such as subscriptions to Microsoft services and third-party services. You’ll also be invited to the annual Microsoft MVP Summit, which is held on the Microsoft Campus in Redmond. It’s a great way to interact with the product team and get insights into the roadmap. I will definitely be attending next year! 

Ooh, I almost forgot to mention that you’ll receive the MVP Award Crystal with yearly discs; this looks amazing on your desk.

Should becoming a Microsoft MVP be a goal?

Some people say that becoming a Microsoft MVP should not be a goal. While there is some truth to this, I completely disagree. I would rather say becoming a Microsoft MVP shouldn’t be your end goal. If it is, you might not be motivated enough to keep it going after reaching it.

If you genuinely enjoy sharing with the community, let no one stop you, and strive to be an MVP, you’ll be recognized as a community leader, and it comes with more opportunities for you to share even more!

How much knowledge and experience do I need to start?

Yes, Microsoft MVPs are (mostly) experts in the field, but don’t worry, you don’t need to be the best of the best. It’s more about your passion for Microsoft technology and your willingness and enjoyment of sharing it with the community.

Microsoft has a great quote on becoming MVP on their MVP FAQ page that I want to mention.

“There are 3 very simple steps: Be an expert, do lots of what you love, and let us know!”

So, if you have the passion to share, what “do” you need to start?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and get support from the people around you. Even though the Microsoft MVP award is a personal title, getting support from your employer upfront is very helpful. Tell them about your ambition and what you need to succeed, such as some paid time off to speak at conferences. Also, don’t forget to include your family. Without the support of my (almost) wife, I would never be able to reach my dreams.

Wrap up

To wrap up this post, I wanted to summarize some of my recommendations on how to become a Microsoft MVP.

  1. Show your passion for Microsoft technology.
  2. Find “your” way of sharing with the community; don’t look too much at what others do.
  3. Don’t let scary things prevent you from doing them.
  4. Strive to be a Microsoft MVP, but don’t let it be your end goal.
  5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and support from the people around you.

Lastly, without your help and support, my road to MVP wouldn’t have been the same.

Thank you, Koos Goossens, Femke de Vroome, Rieël Wouter, René Smit, Jurgen Bossenbroek, Maarten Goet, Kenneth van Surkum, David Drever, and many more!

How did I become a Microsoft MVP

About the author

Myron Helgering:

4 Comments

  1. Rene Smit

    May 14, 2024
    Reply

    Myron,

    Great story, nicely explained and I always knew you had it in you! Keep on sharing and developing and then there will be much more great things to come.

  2. Guus-Jan de Jong

    May 14, 2024
    Reply

    Nice to read Myron and congratulations on this achievement!

    Nice story to read as well!

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