andysworld!

In 2010, I made my return to Experts Exchange, the original and No.1 tech community, first launched in 1996. My journey actually began in 2003 when I first stumbled across the platform while seeking assistance with an Outlook Exchange OWA issue. Experts Exchange quickly became my go-to resource for problem-solving.

A significant part of my re-engagement was thanks to my friend from the University of Plymouth, Richard Quadling, a PHP expert and passionate advocate for Experts Exchange. Seeing Richard proudly wearing his EE “Genius” t-shirt made me want one of my own. Naturally, I asked him, “How do I get one?”

Richard’s advice was straightforward: contribute to the community and answer questions. I asked if there were VMware or Virtualization topics I could help with, and he pointed me in the right direction. My goal was set—earn that Genius t-shirt and top the VMware leader board.

Early Achievements

I started answering questions in late 2010 and, within a few weeks, had earned 50,000 points, achieving my first milestone and receiving my Master T-shirt. Over the next few months, my journey continued with more milestones:

• Guru: January 8, 2011
• Wizard: January 23, 2011
• Sage: February 18, 2011
• Genius: May 13, 2011

By the end of 2011, I had secured a position as one of the top contributors. At the 8th Annual Expert Awards, I was honoured with:

• Expert of the Year: 1st place
• Juggernaut: 1st place
• The Ally: 1st place
• Titan – VMware: 4th place

My journey had only just begun. The Quarterly Awards were discontinued in 2012, but my contributions continued to be recognized unofficially, later becoming known as “Front Runners.”

Rising Through the Ranks

As I moved forward, I broke several records. In 2012, I became the first VMware Savant, reaching 10,000,000 points on November 25. Other notable achievements followed:

• Prodigy in VMware (December 2012)
• Genius in VMware (May 2011)
• The first Virtualization Prodigy (November 2013)

By this time, I had earned a life membership to Experts Exchange and received their 5 Million Point Club email.

The community became a significant part of my life, and my achievements continued to stack up. By the end of 2015, I was named Expert of the Year, The Detective, and The Scribe for five consecutive years (2011-2015)—a record I believe no other Expert has achieved!

Unforgettable Milestones

In 2017, I hit another high, receiving the coveted ELITE Experts Exchange T-shirt on February 20. That year also marked my last Expert of the Year title, capping off an incredible seven consecutive years at the top.

Alongside these achievements, Experts Exchange awarded me an all-inclusive trip to VMworld 2015 in Barcelona,

and in 2023, I received an invitation to Experts Exchange Core 2023.

The Secret Milestone

In addition to these well-known achievements, there was one secret milestone I had been chasing for over 11 years: becoming the No. 1 expert on the Experts Exchange leader board. On May 6, 2022, I surpassed Guy Hengel (angelIII), reaching 40,983,813 points and claiming the top spot. Today, as I write this in Autumn 2024, I have accumulated 43,843,073 points—a testament to years of dedication and passion for helping others.

Testimonials from the Community

Over the years, I’ve received some incredible testimonials that highlight the impact of my contributions:

• “Cheers Hancocka for your out-of-hours help, you deserve all the points and more!”
• “Andrew responds quickly, competently, and zeros in on the fix. He’s like a VMware Yoda!”
• “What VMware couldn’t solve, hanccocka could!”
• “Dude, when you finally get your pic of you wearing cape + mask I want my Xlarge pre-ordered.”

These words from the community mean the world to me, and they have fuelled my drive to continue giving back.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, if you have the patience, dedication, and passion for an IT topic, and want to teach, share knowledge, and help others solve their tech problems, join Experts Exchange. Answer questions, write articles, publish videos—you never know, you might just become the next No. 1 point earner or even an Expert of the Year.

As my brother always says, “Follow your dreams.” While this wasn’t exactly a dream, it was a secret desire:

• Obtain a Genius T-Shirt 
• Earn 1,000,000 points in the VMware Topic 
• Be No. 1 on the VMware Leaderboard 
• Get an Elite T-shirt 
• Become the No. 1 Overall Point Earner 

Thanks to Experts Exchange for providing such an incredible platform, and to the community for asking the questions that allowed me to grow and achieve these milestones. Here’s to many more years of collaboration and success in the No. 1 technology community on the web!

Thanks Richard !