Conference Experiences

Tech conferences have a lot to offer no matter your level of skill or knowledge. They are a great way to dive into a new or different technology without committing more than a few days to it. They are also great for building your skills in the stack you currently use or learning about the new things coming. Some more outgoing people {like Beej} use them for developing their network or meeting like minded friends. Whatever your goals they are a great way to grow as a developer and a person.

Conferences come in all shapes and sizes. There are local conferences that may be free or very cheap to attend that get developers from the area or surrounding areas to come and speak on topics they are passionate about. Regional conferences tend to be a bit larger and cost more. This allows them bring in speakers from all over to cover a larger range of topics. Typically these are several days long and involve some travel if you don’t live in a larger metropolitan area. Corporate conferences tend to be the largest bringing in people from all over the globe. These are likely to have less diverse topics instead focusing on a particular technology or stack.

One pervasive theme in these different interviews is that conferences are about the people. You’ll not only network making great business and growth contacts but also friends. Go to conferences for the chance to learn from different developers you may not otherwise see. Keep going because of the friendships you formed while there.

Get out and go to conferences to build your skills and your network or friends and developers. If the cost is preventing you from attending a conference do like some of the people in this episode and volunteer or push yourself and submit a talk for the conference. Whatever you do get yourself out there.