To borrow a catchphrase, there's already a virtual village of mentors who are helping to develop and instill quality and professionalism among the new crop of MCPs.
Lending a Hand
To borrow a catchphrase, there's already a virtual village of mentors who are helping to develop and instill quality and professionalism among the new crop of MCPs.
- By Linda Briggs
- June 01, 1999
This is our annual technical tips and tricks issue, a
compendium of information and advice from readers, writers
for the magazine, and technical experts. Our goal with
this issue each year is to help make your job just a bit
easier, your certification trek smoother, your career
path less hillywith the help of advice from others.
As we were pulling together the content, I was struck
by the number of you who are constantly willing to help
others by sharing your ideas and experiences. Over the
course of a month or so, we asked you via our Web site
for tips and advice on a variety of topics. Over 300 of
you took the time to fill out a form, telling us your
name and email address and certifications and leaving
some morsel of information intended to help others. Sure,
you wanted to win those ball caps and study materials,
but I think there was more to it than that.
We didnt have room for anywhere near all the tips
you submitted, but it was an impressive outpouring. It
got me thinking about what a people-helping-others kind
of community IS isor is it part of belonging to
that club called Microsoft Certified Professionals? Does
the title alone engender a sense of community that makes
you so willing to come to the rescue of your peers?
Our online discussion forums are a wonderful example
of that. We set them up as largely unmoderated, free discussion
areas for you to share your experiences and ask for help
from others. And thats exactly what theyve
grown into. Many thousands of MCPs and MCP-wanna-bes
visit the forums every month at www.mcpmag.com to post
questions, help others, or just lurk and see whats
being discussed. Experienced working professionals like
the self-styled ForumGuys, though often vocally critical
of the magazine and its staff, nevertheless spend countless
hours in the forums answering questions about certification
and technology. Why? I think in part because they care
deeply about certification, its future, and their chosen
profession. (To find out more, go to our Web site's home
page at http://www.mcpmag.com
and click on "Discussion Forums.")
Our monthly live chats are another example. Writers and
editors for the magazine regularly agree to give up part
of an evening to meet with all comers in a sometimes-free-for-all
and sometimes-moderated style to answer questions about
their area of expertise. (If you havent attended
a chat, visit our Web site at http://www.mcpmag.com/mcpchat
for information about how to join in.)
As if you didnt have enough to do already, perhaps
mentoring newcomers should be high on the
to-do list of experienced MCSEs. If your firm hires someone
fresh out of school, perhaps with an MCP certification
in hand, can you help that novice rise to the challenge
of becoming a true technical professional? You know that
its much more than book learning or technical knowledge,
but does he or she? You know that experience also means
understanding business models, and how to listen to users,
and how different operating systems work together, and
where to go for help when youre completely stumped.
So pass it on.
Do you see mentoring as part of your job? Has someone
helped you get to where you are today? Send me your experiences
at [email protected].
About the Author
Linda Briggs is the founding editor of MCP Magazine and the former senior editorial director of 101communications. In between world travels, she's a freelance technology writer based in San Diego, Calif.