Brief Introduction about the Microsoft Student Partner Program

Hey there folks, today I'm gonna introduce you to a unique opportunity in the technical realm from Microsoft. I am talking about Microsoft Student Partner program, a worldwide program that attracts technical evangelists from all corners of the globe to form a truly global community. Its been an awesome journey till now for me as an MSP.
So let me give you an intro on what Microsoft Student Partner(MSP) Program is all about. MSP initiative started in 2001 in 15 countries. Currently, it attracts participation from more than 100 countries. Members are expected to learn new technologies and share their knowledge with the MSP community and their respective academic institutions. MSP's are chosen from undergraduate and postgraduate programs in computer technology related disciplines usually computer science, computer engineering and information technology. The program mainly aims at increasing awareness and skill on Microsoft technologies and increase student employability with skills that are not taught in academia. MSPs are expected to share their love for technology to the community of ever-increasing technically inclined people; MSPs serve this goal in many ways - By conducting hackathons, conducting workshops,writing blog posts , contributing to local technical clubs,etc. No matter what path an MSP chooses to follow, all of them share their love for technology.
Let's now talk about some of the perks of becoming an MSP. Firstly there is the inherent prestige of becoming associated with Microsoft which is a global IT giant. We have all heard about Bill Gates and Sathya Nadela right?. Secondly you get to be part of a truly global community of technical evangelists which consists of Microsoft MVPs and people who are truly rockstars in the realm of computer technologies ,you get the opportunity to increase your network of people who share your passion of computer technologies and Microsoft also organizes an MSP summit for all MSPs to meet and network. Thirdly we have all the software and services that Microsoft gives us - this includes Visual Studio enterprise subscription which normally costs about 4.5 lakh INR, Microsoft Office 365 subscription, Microsoft Certifications and many more. All opportunities are given to learn and increase our skillset in machine learning,azure,xamarin and many more technologies. Fourthly being an MSP you get the chance to intern/work full time for Microsoft or Microsoft Sponsored companies, now isn't that awesome ?!. Finally, you get to put all that you have learnt and experienced in your resume which according to me is a huge plus.
Now that I have got all of you pumped about being an MSP let's come to the big point - How does one become an MSP?. Any undergraduate or postgraduate student above 18 years of age and studying in a recognized academic institution is eligible to be a part of the MSP program. For students residing in India keep an eye out at this page - https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-in/microsoftstudentpartners.aspx starting from June of every year. Recruitment into the MSP program doesn't take place every year and so always keep an eye out for when it becomes online. So, once the recruitment becomes live you need to go the link given and fill up a form with all your academic and technical qualifications. Along with this you also need to upload a small video about 1 min on why you want to be an MSP on youtube and paste the link on the form given. After that if you are shorlisted then there will be a phone or skype interview, if all goes right you will be informed on your acceptance as a Microsoft Student Partner! For any more info feel free to PM me. Work hard, Do good and all the best for your future endeavors. So that's it folks. This was just a short blog post for the interested ones. Till then, keep coding, keep developing awesome stuff.