Week one of Microsoft Learning s bus tour around europe ended, fittingly, in the host country of the European Union capital, Belgium. And what a great week it was. We visited 7 different cities, in 5 countries, spoke to students, IT professionals, career changers and IT managers. We drove over land, rode under water, we went through customs as we slept and looked forward to fuel refilling to squeeze in a meal. More importantly though, we spread the word about how Microsoft s newest technologies can help businesses today!
Friday s visit to Belgium was particularly symbolic for me. You see, though I have called Canada home for 27 years, I was actually born in Belgium and this week s visit was my first in 20 years. A real blast from the past for me... But I really spent more time looking at the future, than the past in Belgium. Mainly because our second host location in Belgium, the Kaho Sint-Lieven technical college in the city of Gent, was filled with bright college students. The irony that most of them were not born yet when I last visited Belgium, was not lost on me. But here they were, bright, excited, challenging and all of them were already running Windows 7! I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to inspire students into building their future on Microsoft s technologies; just like I did when starting out in IT. The questions were also flowing when Liberty (Munson) came to the stage and discussed certification opportunities with the students. What a great opportunity for those students to use Microsoft certifications to differentiate themselves in future job searches.
A definite blast from the past in Belgium, but surely a visit that illustrates the opportunities for students in the future.
So as the Microsoft Learning bus drives on to Amsterdam, and gets ready for week two, I am returning home to Canada. Enriched and envigourated by the warm people that have greated us around Europe. Great new presenters are joining the bus and will surely inspire in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Prague and Berlin.