So you want to be a Sitecore MVP? Welcome to the Sitecore MVP Program.
The MVP mentor program provides guidance to those in the Sitecore Community who want to become an MVP. Join this program and gain new experiences, skills, knowledge, support and more. – https://mvp.sitecore.com/Mentor-Program
I’d like to share my experience with the program so far and, hopefully, continue sharing my journey as I progress toward the goal of becoming a Sitecore MVP.
Like most fellow Sitecore Platform Engineers (using the term “engineers” to cover the spectrum of technical, non-technical, newbie, and experts of the platform), my goal is to eventually be recognized as a Most Valuable Professional in the Sitecore Platform. Someone who loves the Platform and Community to the extent of contributing their knowledge and time to helping both developers and clients utilizes the full potential of what Sitecore has to offer. And like most of us, I find it hard to find the space and time to actually do what is required to qualify for being elected an MVP while juggling the many other responsibilities on our plate.
So, to me, the MVP Mentor initiative by Sitecore is really a progressive push to help ones such as myself along to road.
Getting Started in the Sitecore MVP Mentor Program
For me, getting started as a Mentee was as easy as sending an email to mvp-program@sitecore.com . Kudos to the Sitecore team (special shoutout to Nicole) for promptly responding to me within a few days. Although it took a few weeks to pair me up with my current mentor, the team periodically let me know that they were working on pairing me with a Mentor close to my time zone.
Getting Connected to my Mentor
Finally, within 2 months, I was paired up with my current mentor Jean-Nicolas Gauthier. Again the team did an excellent job of connecting us in an introductory email and brief Mentor/Mentee notes about the program and expectations. We quickly connected via LinkedIn and started talking. Jean-Nicolas was a perfect fit for me as someone who was well-connected in the MVP community and who heads the Montreal and Quebec SUGs. He works hard to push me to get stuff done (more on that later)
Expectations must be set, agreed and followed between yourself and the Mentor. Remember, this is a voluntary exchange of time and effort, and is not to be taken for granted. The effort is really on you, so make the best of it.
Getting to Work
Now that we have an agreed time and schedule, the real work starts. Jean-Nicolas was very upbeat about getting me to do things. Doing a presentation, writing blogs on something you found interesting in the platform. Many of us have heard that prolific blogging and helping out on Sitecore Slack is how MVPs are made. I would definitely agree with that and more. He was adamant about getting me in front of people.
Our scheduled weekly meetings (about 15min -1hr) often resulted in key action items to work on for the next meeting.
That being said, we’ve only been meeting for a few months so far, and most of our agreed-on items are work-in-progress.
Professional Development in the Sitecore MVP Program
One of the things I appreciate about the Mentor Program is the benefits to my professional and career growth. Conversations with my mentor are not just about becoming a Sitecore MVP; we also shoot the breeze about life, current events, and what’s happening in the technology space. We also discuss challenges faced in our current jobs, and my mentor was instrumental in offering very good professional advice at the right time.
Next Steps in the Sitecore MVP Program
So that’s my experience so far in a nutshell. Looking forward to doing presentations at Sitecore User Groups and getting a few blogs in before the MVP application period closes. Hopefully, in part 2 of this blog series, I’ll share some of the presentations I did and the lessons learned.
Till next time, keep engineering
