The National Community Demo Comp is now LIVE. This is an exciting time to be a part of the community, and there are some unbelievable prizes to be won (the national prize is a trip to Tech.Ed 09 in LA!!)

The Comp runs from 1st April - 31st July, after this, you could make it to the state finals through a community group nomination OR a wildcard prize.

What you need to do:

Prepare a demo and present it to a community group. You just need to meet each of these criteria and you could be on your way to the state finals.

• Showcase a Launch technology – Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and/or Visual Studio 2008
• Maximum duration: 10 minutes
• Video the demonstration, either using a recorder (video camera or webcam) or through screen capture technologies, such as DemoMate™ or Camtasia™
• Post the video online at silverlight.live.com
• Complete the registration form, available here
• Meet the terms and conditions of entry

All details are on the Heroes Happen {2008} Community site

If you have any questions, just let me know, or you can email ozhero

You can also check out Rog42 for more insights into the demo comp. Roger Lawrence is our Developer and Platform Evangelist manager.

Well the interns are hitting the papers this week, appearing in The Australian newspaper. The article acknowledges the shortage of IT graduates, making reference to the wide range of possibilities and competition for those who do complete university with an IT degree.

One of our fellow interns, Karo Esmali,  outlined the opportunities that present themselves when you take on employment at Microsoft. He mentions how we are encouraged to develop our skills through internal training courses and how, after only being with the company a few weeks, has already absorbed huge amounts of knowledge.

The best thing is that you don't have to have high levels of technical knowledge to apply for an internship, although once you're in, you can't help but develop a deep passion for technology and how it enables everyone around the world to reach their potential. Most importantly, you need to posses the Microsoft values and fit with the culture of the organisation.

Internships are offered across a range of divisions, including marketing - communications, product, segment, audience and partner, technical roles and sales roles. In fact, positions are now open for sales graduates. The Microsoft Academy for University Hires (MACH) Sales Academy is a two year program designed to take passionate graduates and set them on an accelerated career path in EPG, Public Sector or SMS&P. Ideal candidates would have exceptional communication skills and a passion for sales, high levels of academic achievement, 0-2 years of post graduation (sales) experience and the desire to succeed. Positions are available in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and applications close 14 April.

Check out the article here.