MVP Award experience post

[kilasuit]

Comments on my MVP Award experience post located at https://blog.kilasuit.org/2023/07/08/my-experience-as-a-7-time-awardee-of-the-microsoft-mvp-award/

[kilasuit]

Please leave a comment on this issue - https://github.com/kilasuit/blogcomments/issues/95

[WillParry]

Hey, awesome post. I want to say a few things in response.

We met some years ago after an event in London, I can't even remember the name of the guy who I was working with at the time another MVP who had organised an event about Azure AD B2C.

Anyway, I'm diagnosed with ADHD and have been since I was about 15 or 16. And I think I know how you feel about mistakes. I've just read both the articles you posted or linked via your LinkedIn profile. I've made a few mistakes in my time, not the pulling out the rack and both power cables kind of mistakes, the burning your bridges kind. I think it's a genuine case in these situations or it's REALLY not you, it's them. If they can't forgive or get over a mistake, then they're not worth it!!

So I'm almost certain my words won't help, but part of my ADHD makes me feel the need to try anyway. I think I'm jealous, that you got into IT as a career so much younger than I did, due to my ADHD I failed at University and so I joined the Royal Navy for a few years. The point I'm not making very well, is that life is I suppose about experiences and the time you had as an MVP was an experience and as much as you might beat yourself up inside about something you can't change, I think you have to try to let it go. (Easier said than done I know.)

This is really hard, because I don't want you to misunderstand me. I hope as this is public others won't misunderstand me either. I think it was a privilege (being an MVP) and you were lucky to have that experience. Now I don't know if you aspired to being an MVP or if it just kind of happened while you were enjoying the positive things you were doing in the community which got you there. (Hopefully it was the latter. I know someone else I used to work with who became and I think still is an MVP, totally deserves it, but wasn't looking for it initially he just loved the area of technology he works in.)

My feeling is, that once you became an MVP, you had this privilege and those experiences, but also you might have had a lot of pressure. In the end or towards the end, probably due to the passing of a family member and I think I recall you may have had other issues which would have made things difficult and may have had or been a contributing factor in losing your MVP status.

So finally, what I'm really trying to say and really hoping, is that actually you enjoyed what you did back then, back before you first got your MVP status. So hopefully if you're not shunned by the community you can just do what you were doing, and do it without any expectation that it might gain you MVP status and just do it for the enjoyment you get from socialising with like minded people and for helping others in the community in which ever way you can.

I hope that makes some sense, I hope you don't stack shelves for too long, unless you enjoy it and want to. But if that's what you're doing, but you want to do something better or more interesting, maybe look away from MSPs or CSPs and look for a company that has great values and find a job you can settle into. If you want, but if that doesn't suit you, I just hope you find what does. Good Luck!!!

[kilasuit]

Thanks for the comments @WillParry - I understand fully where you are coming from with them all and yes everything you've mentioned makes sense. I'm a workaholic one way or another, always have been and always will be, and that makes me want to always be able to contribute to society, whether that be in the tech community or otherwise as best as I can no matter how I am, either physically or mentally.

I've found that having some variety in life, helps me manage myself best. As like a computer (which fundamentally we all are very similar to one anyway), I can easily put things on background processing when doing a less mentally stressful task than programming can be.

It was a privilege being part of that community (as it is any community) and whilst I am saddened that I'm not a part of it at this time, I really enjoyed my time with it. The fact that I am still engaging with the wider technical communities shows my love for them, even if I am no longer contributing at the level I was prior. That in itself is a shame & there will be a time where I may well have to stop all community work because of being tired from doing other work that is actually paid and contributing to society once again as opposed to how I am now. Right now UK Gov is essentially via universal credit giving me the time and opportunity to do so, at the expense of the tax payer as opposed to it being something that I can contribute my time

I would prefer not to be stacking shelves (even though I do enjoy it) and just be working for the community in doing all I want, but my current financial stresses (along with others) are not helping me at all with being able to do this as having too much headaches going on all at the same time, which I know is on me & that I'm to blame for being where I am, and I hope this shows willingness to adapt & grow.