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Ken Getz Talks About His Role as a Microsoft MVP

Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) are technical experts outside of Microsoft who volunteer their time engaging with the technical community to answer questions, provide training, and assist in product guidance. MSDN Magazine interviewed Ken Getz, an MVP since 1994, to find out more about the program and Ken's involvement in it.

MSDN What was your first experience in the computer industry?

Getz Back in 1983, I was teaching high school math and music at a prep school in Boston. I was totally burnt out and was looking for a new career. The guy in charge of the school's data processing and keeper of the school's PDP-11 quit, and I stretched the truth a bit and convinced the headmaster that I could program the thing. Heck, I couldn't even boot it (if you remember, that required some masterful dipswitch fiddling). A bunch of BASIC manuals later, and I was in business. Soon, the school bought one of the original IBM PCs, and I fell in love right away. A bunch of night courses at Harvard Extension later, I was a programmer! If only it was actually that easy. But it sounds good 20 years later.

MSDN How did you earn your MVP title?

Getz Around 1993, I had a client for whom I had been struggling writing a Visual Basic 1.0 database application—there wasn't much support in there for real database applications. Microsoft Access came out, and I knew I'd found the right tool for the job. I really dug in, wrote an application for the guy, found the CompuServe forums, and started answering questions there for fun, based on my experience with the one application. Answering the questions on the forum took on a life of its own, and when they started the program in 1994, I was among the first batch of Access MVPs selected (I think there were something like five or six Access MVPs at the time—now there are many, many more). Back in those days, the CompuServe support forums were really something—a tight-knit community, where most of the regulars knew each other and all the Microsoft support folks, as well. I really miss those times. Everyone I know who was involved says the same thing.

MSDN What does being an MVP entail?

Getz Originally, being an MVP was based on the quality and quantity of messages posted on the CompuServe forums. Over time, as online support grew and moved to MSN and then to public newsgroups, peer recommendations also became part of the process. Most MVPs I know spend time answering questions on the newsgroups. Most years, Microsoft sponsors a "get-together" on campus, allowing MVPs to meet, chat, and learn about new and forthcoming technologies. But mostly, it's about answering questions on the newsgroups, at least from my perspective.

MSDN Do you work on projects with other MVPs? What do you do together?

Getz I've been involved in projects with other MVPs for as long as I can remember. The company I work with, MCW Technologies, was started by five MVPs back in 1996 or so, and we still have three. Mary Chipman (SQL Server), Andy Baron (.NET), and I have been collaborating on courseware and training from AppDev (https://www.appdev.com) for the past few years. We've done ASP.NET, Visual Basic .NET, and ADO.NET courses, and we're looking forward to doing more.

MSDN What excites you enough to wake up every morning?

Getz I've been self-employed since 1991 and have worked pretty much every single day of that time. I love solving problems and enjoy explaining the solutions I find. After having written so much courseware—several thousand pages over the past six years—I've finally figured out how to do it, and I look forward to it most days. The point is to "tell a story"—in other words, to find a path through a topic so that you can motivate each new concept based on previous knowledge and a need to solve a particular problem. It's really made a difference in the work. I also do a lot of public speaking ("blabbing", we call it at home), and I love doing that, as well.

MSDN What's better, Visual Basic or C#?

Getz You've got to be kidding! Do you really think I'm going to answer that in a public forum? There's no way. Just what I need is a language war on my head. I'll be very happy to give you the "party line," but I'm not going to vote in this race. Which one is better? Visual Basic or C#, obviously.

Microsoft MVPs are a diverse group of individuals who are:

Recognized: Microsoft MVPs are acknowledged by peers and also by Microsoft for their active participation in Microsoft technical communities around the globe.

Credible: Microsoft MVPs have demonstrated practical expertise providing the highest quality information and content.

Accessible: Microsoft MVPs are active technical community leaders sharing their experience with peers.

Find out more about the MVP Program at https://mvp.support.microsoft.com.