Why SharePoint, Liz?

Well, how did I get here? A great line from an epic song, Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime," is a thought I ponder almost every day. How did the kid who started writing poetry and short stories alone in her room end up architecting SharePoint Online solutions, migrating millions of sites, lists, files, and folders, and espousing her love of all things SharePoint to anyone who will listen?

It all started with a newly minted degree in English Literature and a minor in Sociology. I chose English because it was what I loved, and for a time, I even considered becoming a lawyer. But at the urging of those close to me and with a knack for all things tech, I found my way into a professional services company as a Documentation Specialist—thanks to a friend who was kind enough to refer me.

Following the dot-com crash, I found myself in a series of roles: technical writing, dabbling in Micro-Focus COBOL, Process Analysis, and working with early intranet systems. One thing was true of most of these jobs: we lacked the software to accurately track and maintain our documents. We mostly used an Access Database and some reports to track and approve files stored on a file share somewhere, a system that was far from ideal.

It was in those early days that I realized the power of technology to bring order to chaos, but I also saw the gaps that needed filling. The frustration of hunting down the right version of a document, the inefficiency of poorly organized file shares, and the lack of a cohesive system drove me to seek out better solutions.

Enter SharePoint. At first, it seemed like just another tool, but I quickly saw its potential—how it could solve so many of the problems I had encountered in my career. SharePoint wasn’t just about storing documents; it was about creating a living, breathing system that could evolve with the needs of the business. It could manage content, automate processes, and, most importantly, bring people together to collaborate in ways that had never been possible before.

Of course, my journey with SharePoint wasn’t without its bumps. In the early days, I made my fair share of mistakes—like ghosting pages and spending hours developing workflows in Visual Studio because, back then, SharePoint Designer was still a tool called FrontPage. It was a time of trial and error, of learning the hard way what worked and what didn’t. But each mistake taught me something valuable and deepened my understanding of the platform.

As I dove deeper into the world of SharePoint, I found myself not just using it but shaping it, architecting solutions that made a real difference. Each project was a new challenge, a new opportunity to bring order, efficiency, and clarity to organizations struggling with the same issues I had faced. It was like solving a puzzle—each piece fitting together to create a cohesive whole that was greater than the sum of its parts.

But it wasn’t just about the technology. It was about the people. SharePoint became a way for me to connect with others, to share my passion for making things work better, and to help them see the possibilities that technology could offer. It’s a conversation I never get tired of having, whether it’s with a client, a colleague, or someone just starting out in their career.

So, how did I get here? It wasn’t a straight path, and it wasn’t always easy. But every twist and turn brought me closer to finding my true calling—using technology to make a real difference in the way people work and collaborate. And along the way, I’ve had the privilege of being part of something bigger than myself, part of a community of like-minded individuals who share my passion for all things SharePoint.

And the best part? The journey is far from over. Every day brings new challenges, new opportunities, and new ways to make an impact. And I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.