It appears that someone at Microsoft has dropped the ball and awarded me again as an MVP. I remember the days when I would spend hours in the newsgroups. Now I get in there a couple of times a month. Once there, I realize that the questions are the same as they were 10 years ago. That’s bad for my motivation, but there is a good side to it.
At one point in my career I thought that eventually everyone would know the Excel basics and there would be no need for people like me. You know, I think it was a kind of misplaced arrogance. It’s as if now that I’m answering questions in the newsgroups, people are actually going to learn something. One trip to the newsgroups assures me that there will always be people learning Excel at every level. Just when you see someone attain some level of competence, there’s someone else behind him to ask how to put a value and a formula in the same cell (you can’t).
If you’d like to peer into the lives of MVPs read this.
Re the title: I know that nobody actually envies MVPs, I just can’t resist an off-color joke.
Dear Dick and all other MVP and people who are so willing to give their time and share their expertise with us.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all. Although I have never posted a problem or question, I have alway found a solution to my questions when I Googled my problem.
I am sure that you all realise that we are part-timers and that Excel is a tool to perform do our jobs and we do have the time or in some cases the inclination to extend our knowledge in Excel. More often than not we want the solution to the problem as soon as it arises and thus have not time to do research for the solution.
Anyway, the purpose of this post is to say thank you to you all.
I’ve just re-read that post, and blimey, Nick was right. He said SQL Server should be the next Excel add-in, and it is, they just renamed it Gemini!
@Dick, I put your re-award down as proof of the damage climate change will reap on the planet.
Now I need to Google Gemini. Using ADO to move data from SQL to Xl and automate report production is one of the lures that took me outside of Excel and Access.
Brett
Dick –
Congrats. I guess a lot of balls were dropped, because I’m in again, and so are several others who have posted.
@Brett, Start here http://blogs.msdn.com/gemini/archive/2009/08/24/overview-of-gemini-features.aspx
I’ll add my congrats, and concur with you and Jon that someone must have approved the wrong list, ’cause I got awarded again as well.
I think this year was just a tick-sheet year, ’cause I just made it 10 years too…or is it 11?
Congrats Dick, well deserved.
The reality Dick is that there will always be new Excel users as the users of Excel in the workplace tend to be generally governed by seniority. Junior employees (Analyst to Manager) usually take on data mining or data aggregation roles. They employ the use of Excel/Access/SQL to do this. They in turn hand over the information to their bosses (senior manager to Directors) who make recommendations based on this information. Then their bosses bosses(VP – Presidents) make the decisions. As such, as people rise in the ranks of a firm, they use Excel less and less. However their positions are always filled with new fresh talent. This new talent will always need Excel training and eventually migrate to the newsgroups. And the more senior employees use Excel less or become hyper efficient at it and start answering questions in newsgroups!
Thanks again for the great blog.
ExcelMonkey
Good comment and observation for many topics. There will always be new learners!!
Yes and congratulations. You are a well deserved MVP.