Editing October 25, 2023

== 2023 MX Repair Competition ==
[[File:Chrome EdHWhtb5zJ.png|thumb|In this image, [[User:Ha1vorsen|North]] is depicted with a gray blazer.]]
Every year, Samsung Electronics America (SEA) hosts a competition which pits fifteen of the nation's highest graded technicians against each other in a competition within SEA's headquarters. This can be for various departments, such as the Home Appliance division, to their Mobile Experience division, covering devices like smartphones and watches. In 2023, I was lucky enough to be among the fifteen finalists Samsung has chosen for this year's event. After the travel to Samsung's Legacy headquarters in Plano, Texas, I had only a night's rest before the competition started, with no clue on what to expect on the following day. When that day came, I met the other finalists who flew in from all over the country; some within Samsung's own repair facilities, and some with business partners via uBreakiFix. While most of us were first-time contestants, there were a number of returning finalists from years past who were already sharing new repair experiences, how the industry has shifted, and new challenges the sector faces. Meeting with people who also possess the technical knowledge and passion in your daily work environment is already an important experience, but it doesn't compare to entering the building of the company behind it all, where it seems like its own society of enthusiasts for technology and preservation alike, seeing people from all walks of the world collaborate for a common purpose which benefits users around the globe.

Given the existence of [[wikipedia:Samsung_Town|Samsung Town]] in South Korea, it only makes sense that their subsidiary headquarters also aim to emulate this exact feeling. 

While I didn't receive the crowning placement, the competition went relatively smoothly and was finished in about two hours.  We were also granted access to tour the rest of the Samsung Legacy HQ building afterward, and it ended with a celebratory night out with Samsung MX management and other finalists. Information about this event can be found on the [https://news.samsung.com/us/top-techs-put-skills-test-samsung-national-skills-repair-competition-2023/ Samsung Newsroom] website.