Automation and scripting has become a major part of IT in recent years. And PowerShell has played a giant role in the progression of that. Every year, the wonderful people at PowerShell.org put on the PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit, that always produces outstanding results from amazing speakers and attendees.

As many of you in IT know, convincing your manager to attend conferences usually depends on a few key factors: Cost and budget, content, and sometimes, experience or seniority in the company. And unfortunately, that last one may be a deciding factor far too often. This year, PowerShell.org is making it a priority to help extend, not only the content and knowledge that comes with attending the PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit, but also the experience that comes along with it.

PowerShell.org is looking for a few driven, over achieving PowerShell-ers, that may still yet be all too green in their company or role in IT to convince their superiors to send them to the PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit. To be considered for this scholarship, we are particularly looking for individuals that would be considered part of a group which is “under represented” in the IT industry as a whole, including women, underrepresented minorities, and so on. So, if you’re the IT Director, or the Senior Systems Architect, this opportunity is not for you; however, if you are in those roles, and you know a real go-getter that has shown you some cool stuff they have done with PowerShell, please point them to this opportunity.

It’s also worth noting that this specifically isn’t for people in the situation of, “yeah, I do this stuff all the time and my employer should totally send me and they totally aren’t.” We’re looking more for, “I’m working way above my pay grade and this might help give me the jump I need to get to a better place in life.” That’s the kind of thing you’ll have to help us understand about you in your application. This scholarship isn’t just to take a burden off your employer or net you a free trip to Redmond; it’s to help someone raise themselves in life.

Applying

If you feel you fit the bill for this scholarship, you need to convince us! We want to hear why you are the Chosen One. So, if you’d like to be considered for the opportunity you will need to write an essay that demonstrates your passion for PowerShell and automation. When constructing your essay, please use the following guidelines:

Demonstrate an intermediate or better understanding of PowerShell, Scripting, and ToolMaking (If you’ve read Don Jones’ Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches, you should be fine).

Include specifics. Site specific example on how you have used PowerShell to save your company a bunch of money, or how you’ve done something amazing.

Include examples. We DO NOT want a submission that is just a script, but please include some clever snippets that you are proud of.

Have you shared your work, or made it reusable? Please include information on how we can find it if you have. The PowerShell Community is one of the best ones around, and we all love sharing code.

Be thorough. We don’t have a hard word count, but remember, the best essay wins!

Assure us that, should you be awarded this opportunity, you’ve spoken with your employer and getting the time off won’t be a problem.

How We’ll Decide

Applications can be submitted HERE (Google account required to apply).

We will be accepting applications from Friday, September 1st 2017 until Sunday, October 1st 2017.

The winner(s) will be selected based on the quality of their essay and the enthusiasm it conveys (make us want to keep reading). Again, we are not looking for the seasoned PowerShell veteran that has been to the Summit the past four years, but the help desk analyst that has been using a collection of tools and scripts they created that is allowing them to be four times as productive.

The winner(s) will be chosen by a panel of four judges who are all very active members in the PowerShell community.

The winner(s) will be announced Wednesday, November 1st 2017 on PowerShell.org

What Awardees Receive