After taking some time away from the computer over the festive period, in preparation for 2023, it’s time to look back at 2022.
Since I wrote my article about how much being involved in the MCT community has given me back in February 2021, a lot has happened. In October 2021, I became an MVP for the first time and at the end of 2021 I was appointed as one of the MCT Regional Leads for the UK. Both are amazing honours and led to the whirlwind of a year that was 2022.
On a community front, personally I have been involved in 10 in person events and 13 virtual events as a speaker, volunteer or organizer plus meetups, podcasts and blog articles for various sites.
The opportunities to meet new people, reconnect with friends, travel and talk techy which are afforded by involvement in the Microsoft Community are the reward for the time we dedicate to these events. Personally, the biggest thrill is when I meet someone new and they take the time to tell me how much they appreciate the social media posts/blogs/sessions I’ve put out. As a trainer my professional life is dedicated to helping people maximize the use of technology and extending that with my involvement in the Microsoft community is what drives my involvement.
On a professional front, although I have renewed all my certifications as they fell due for renewal including my MCT status, I only added two new qualifications in 2022, the Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert and Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Voice Engineer Expert. I’m very proud that after over 20 years of freelance training work my diary remains busy and my course evaluation scores remain above the 92% average target for MCTs. In 2022 I also published two courses with Specialist Courseware on the community courseware marketplace. SharePoint Online Management and Administration plus Administering Office 365.
On a personal front, it’s been wonderful to enjoy some family holiday travel visiting some new countries to me including South Africa and Iceland plus a work trip to Greenland in early May. As we became an all adult household with the 18th birthday of our son this year there have been personal milestones to celebrate too.
Looking forward to 2023, we have the parenting challenge of A-Levels and starting university to face. I am sure it was not as stressful as a student as it is as the parent of a student! On a community front I will be speaking at the European Collaboration Conference in Dusseldorf in May, the first Iberian Summit in April and Metaverse One in September . It’s a real honor to be selected for these events! However I do also need to ensure I fit in some paid work as well, so not sure how many others.
Whatever 2023 holds for you, I wish you and your loved ones much fun, health and happiness! And if we meet at an event in 2023 or beyond, do come and say “hello”.
Sara Fennah's Blog 