My path to MVP

This article was written: September 2026.

I’d like to share my journey to becoming part of Microsoft’s MVP Program. I hope it inspires others and makes the process easier to understand. There’s no complete formula or checklist, but there are still a few things that need to be in place.

How it started

I started out as a data technician apprentice. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed writing guides for our operations and implementations. I wrote a lot of them, and by the time I finished my apprenticeship, I had produced a whole collection of guides.

What happened next?

Over time, I became more skilled. I completed my apprenticeship and started at another company, where I took on management responsibility for a number of consultants. I continued working technically and was always trying to improve. I still wrote guides for internal use, and I also started training my colleagues. We recorded the sessions and gradually built our own knowledge base from the training I delivered.

After several years, I moved to Fellowmind and put management aside for a while. I had children and wanted to spend some of my free time with them rather than working all the time.

At Fellowmind, I also ran internal training for colleagues, typically every other week on Teams. The topic was different each time, and the sessions helped raise the skill level across the department. I later moved to a department focused entirely on implementation and consulting, and I stopped delivering the training, but still had the will and opportunity to share knowledge in other ways.

Can you become an MVP by sharing knowledge inside a company?

The short answer is no. I’ll explain why below.

What did I do to understand the MVP Program?

I knew several other MVPs at the company I work for now, so I contacted them to hear how they had joined the program: what they did, what they didn’t do, and what had worked for them. They could also explain Microsoft’s approval process.

Why did I want to become an MVP?

To me, the MVP title is public recognition of the knowledge you have and want to share freely with others, helping them on their own journeys to becoming more skilled IT professionals.

I had been passionate about sharing my knowledge for many years, and I felt I had something to contribute. Sharing internally was no longer enough; I wanted to reach people outside the company, too. I also knew it would take more of my own time, because a consulting company can’t bill for knowledge that I share freely with the community — after all, a consulting business makes its living by selling its expertise.

Fellowmind was supportive of me sharing my knowledge, as long as I did it in my own time.

I find that I learn an incredible amount myself by diving into a subject and sharing what I’ve learned. You could say that sharing knowledge is a catalyst for my own learning. It drives my desire to keep learning.

When did the pursuit of MVP status begin?

More than a year and a half ago, I set myself the clear goal of becoming an MVP, if it was technically and practically possible for me.

So I got started.

I understood that I needed to be focused and stick to a small number of technical areas. Writing about both Intune and Azure Local would have been too broad a starting point. I chose Azure Local and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) — two areas that fit naturally together, and that I work with on the job, so I have plenty of exposure to them.

I tried making a YouTube video, but had to admit that video production just isn’t for me. So I went back to what I love: the written word. I created a website.

Since then, I’ve produced about one article a week.

But it was demanding, and I came close to giving up several times. At times, it felt like there was never enough time. And what would I keep finding to write about?

I struggled with chronic headaches for five months, from February to June 2026.

I had decided to give up on the attempt.

But I found the willpower to keep going and pushed through. Eventually, my headaches went away, and I found my motivation again.

How did I become an MVP?

I was in contact with Microsoft, and after talking it through, we agreed to try nominating me in two Azure areas. A kind colleague at Fellowmind, who was already an MVP, also offered to nominate me.

Those are the two ways it can happen: either Microsoft or another MVP has to nominate you.

I had to answer a lot of questions and submit my contributions from the previous 12 months. It took several hours and was a substantial amount of work, but it was important.

After that, all I could do was wait for the answer.

I honestly hadn’t expected to be approved. I’d heard it was quite common not to be approved the first time, and that you should wait at least six months before trying again.

I made it

After about two months, I got the answer: I had been approved.

Being accepted into a program that already includes so many talented communicators of Microsoft technology made me incredibly happy.

What do I hope to do with it?

My impression is that IT professionals like to hear from Microsoft or Microsoft MVPs. So I thought I needed to earn that status to be able to share my knowledge widely. At least, that seems to be the case in Denmark, where I live and work.

I’m curious to see whether that impression holds up. I’ll share my thoughts later, once I’ve been in the program for a while.

For now, I’ll keep writing articles.

There are differences in what each Microsoft technology area values and looks for. Some want many MVPs who write articles and make videos. Others look for people who are good on stage and give talks. Some want a focus on in-person and virtual meetups, with MVPs organizing or contributing to them. My sense is that they’re looking for a good mix of all of these things. That’s also why it’s hard to say exactly what it takes to become an MVP: the program decides what it needs to best support each technology area.

If I were ever removed from the program, even after being active throughout the previous 12 months, I’d be disappointed. But I’d also recognize that Microsoft was simply looking for something different from what I could offer.