Meet Community MVP...
Anurag Tripathi
Hello Anurag! So tell us a little on how you got started in your career and when was ServiceNow introduced to you?
I started my career working on Java and php projects for a major conglomerate. Later, my client manager moved into a ServiceNow Project and offered me to join, it looked very different from what I was working so I joined out of curiosity. This was back in 2012-2013 and first version I worked on was Berlin. What kept me interested in the platform was the fact that it was (and still is) improving and expanding so rapidly. It keeps you on your toes and there is never a dull day. I have been working on ServiceNow for so long and still there is so much I don’t know about.
What do you do now? What is your favorite part of using the ServiceNow?
I am working as a Technical Architect for the Now Platform. I work on internal projects from technical analysis, designing to delivery. I also do POCs on new products and explore areas of Service Now that can be incorporated within our platform. My favorite part about the platform keeps changing and gives me the opportunity to learn new things everyday, currently it is the Agent Workspace and New Agent Mobile App.
How did your career evolve?
Like everyone, I started at the bottom of the food chain as an intern where I worked on .Net and C#. Then I moved into Java and php space and later I got introduced to the Service Now world. The version of ServiceNow I started on was Berlin, currently I am working on Orlando so you can imagine how I have seen the platform evolve. Presently, I am working as Technical Architect for a leading pharma company and I am based in Dublin , Ireland.
How did you get involved with the ServiceNow Community?
My involvement with ServiceNow Community started back in 2014-2015. At that time I was leading a team of ServiceNow developers and helping them with their issues. We used to refer to the community and often see unanswered questions and then figure it out ourselves. That is when I started replying to questions to try and help others who were facing similar issues. This is back in 2014 when community was not as big as it is today. I started enjoying helping and answering questions and that’s’ when I won the award on Community for the first time (Most liked responses) and I didn’t realise when it became my habit. I would like to thank the community for all the awards I have received over the years, it is very motivating.
You're very generous with your time. What inspired you to start answering in addition to asking?
Actually, I started answering questions first and asked later. It mainly started when I used to look for answer and see someone else who had the same question which was not answered as yet. Later on, if I found the solution I used to go back and update it to help others.
How do you work the community into your day?
There is no specific time , it really depends on how busy the day is. I am mostly logged in the community every day and when I see any question where I can help, I respond.
Many of times I go to search something and see a question I can answer so that is another time I respond.
Where do you spend your time in the community?
Mostly on the recent questions and on the blogs when I have time. I try to read the platform upgrade discussions as well to see what issues others faced. I also follow some good blogs and articles on the community. They are pure gold.
How else do you participate?
Apart from answering questions I have written a couple of blogs. I have been to a few SN User Groups meetups as well.
What would you say to encourage your peers to participate more?
Community is not just a place for questions-answers, it is so much more than that. You get to learn so much, you get help from people who are experts in the field and are here to help you out. From architecture to design to fault in the scripts, everything gets answered here.
And it just feels good when you can help someone 🙂
What advice would you give to someone who wanted a nudge to start contributing?
There is no downside to sharing your knowledge. Community is so much more than just a question answer portal. I have learned so much from the community through the blogs and issues others faced, learn so much from others mistakes, Information on upgrades, insight on what others are using/doing and the networking. SO you don’t just help others, you learn and grow a lot yourself.
Any other advice to share with those just starting on their journey with ServiceNow?
I don’t always answer a question where I know the answer. Sometimes you see a question which gets you thinking and so you look for the answer and post it, if you don’t find the answer then you follow the post and someone else answers. This whole things contributes a lot on self-learning and growth.
Do you have any stand-out / memorable experiences with ServiceNow?
One of my good memories was when I was in the Knowledge Conference and there were few instances where people recognized me and walked up to talk/introduce themselves and some just thanked me as well. It was good to be recognized and acknowledged.
Do you have a favorite piece of content on the community?
Community has evolved a lot over the years but the core is still the questions and answers, most visitors come for those and most members spend maximum time there and that includes me as well.
What motivates you to participate? Why do you do it?
Initially it was just solving problems and learning but now this has become more like a habit to me. Wherever I find time I always jump on the community.
Any other interesting tidbits, stories, hobbies you'd like to share
Apart from work I enjoy traveling a lot, along with my wife I have traveled to almost 15 countries. I spend a lot of time on Netflix and PS4 and not to brag 😉 but, I can solve a Rubik’s cube in 2 minutes.
Thank you, Anurag!
