First of all, congratulations to my colleague, Ryan Duclos, who received the Microsoft MVP award on January 1, 2014. You can read more about the announcement in the Microsoft MVP Award Program Blog here:
These individuals were chosen because they have demonstrated their deep commitment to helping others make the most of their technology, voluntarily sharing their passion and real-world knowledge of Microsoft products with the community.
They are nominated by Microsoft, other community individuals, or in some cases themselves. Candidates are rigorously evaluated for their technical expertise, community leadership, and voluntary community contributions for the previous year.
A dedicated professional who is passionate about Microsoft development, Ryan was kind enough to sit down for a few minutes and talk about his path to becoming a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional.
Who are you, where are you, and what do you do?
Ryan Duclos: I’m Ryan Duclos and I’m a Lead Technical Consultant for the Perficient New Orleans Business Unit. I live in South Alabama near Mobile.
What are your specialties and what do you focus on?
Ryan Duclos: I’m primarily focused on custom application development utilizing Microsoft and related technologies. I’m passionate about development utilizing .Net, SQL Server and Windows Azure technologies.
What did it take to be awarded a Microsoft MVP?
Ryan Duclos: There are several different ways to obtain this recognition. For me, it is mostly based on my involvement in the community by sharing my knowledge and experiences. I speak at events; I blog about Microsoft technologies; I organize events based on Microsoft technologies; I mentor developers in my area; I occasionally contribute to forums.
How involved are you in the Microsoft community?
Ryan Duclos: I’m deeply involved in the community. Over the last several years I have either lead or helped organize four user groups. Outside of the user groups, I have organized several large events. Currently I’m putting the South Alabama Day of .Net and Global Windows Azure Bootcamp together. I also speak at several local and regional events, as well as User Groups across my region.
What does this award mean to you?
Ryan Duclos: To me this award is recognition for my hard work and taking time away from my family to share knowledge and help others grow in my field. I don’t believe I would be where I am today in my field if it wasn’t for my community contributions outside of work.
Do you have any advice for other community members who hope to eventually become a MVP?
Ryan Duclos: Keep contributing and try to focus on a particular technology area when sharing your knowledge and experience. I have been nominated two times prior to receiving this award on my third nomination. The first couple of times I was nominated I didn’t have a specific area of focus when I submitted my contributions. The last several years I have focused my visible contributions on Windows Azure development. Your daily work may be focused on several areas of technology, but you need to find the area you are most passionate about and focus your visible contributions there. That said, if you can help someone in any other area still help when you can.
When not at a computer, where are you likely to be found?
Ryan Duclos: I can be found spending time with my family. You might also find me at a Disc Golf course, I tend to travel with my equipment. When I travel for work or leisure, I try to attend community happenings along the way or near my destination.
I’d like to again thank Ryan for taking the time discuss his background, amidst the holiday and a very busy schedule. Congratulations to all the new and renewed Microsoft MVPs!
