December 19, 2025 at 12:00 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Your Value from a Conference
December 19, 2025 at 2:28 pm
Conferences have been one of the best ways I have had for learning new things, getting answers to questions I've had, and making new friends. I've made lifetime friends at conferences.
Unfortunately, I now work for an employer who doesn't allow any developer, DBA, sys admin, etc. to ever go anywhere to a conference, or even a local event. Managers can, but they are the only ones who can.
Rod
December 19, 2025 at 2:53 pm
Mostly it is about widening the skillset, learning about new features, problems and solutions. Also a meeting ground with ex-peers.
Lack of decision power makes it harder to visit the sponsor stands
December 19, 2025 at 3:09 pm
Sounds like the value is much lower for us extreme introverts.
Be still, and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10
December 19, 2025 at 4:43 pm
What I get (or want to get) out of a conference has changed over the years. When I was early in my career, a conference of any sort was mostly about learning what was possible with the platform. My first was a year out of college when the company sent a group of us off to the IBM Common conference in Atlanta. It was my first time in a jet, east of the rocky mountains, and on an expense account. Mid career the focus of a conference changed to learning to grow my skills combined with a heavy dose of teambuilding. Being in the Seattle area and having a large DBA team, it wasn't a huge company expense to send a group of us to PASS or the local SQL user group meetings on the MS campus. Now on the tail end of my career physical conference attendance is more rare with the focus being regaining some inspiration for what I do and reconnecting with old coworkers.
December 19, 2025 at 6:03 pm
The 1st conferences I went to were SQLBits. This gave me a very high and unrealistic expectation of what conferences could deliver.
People like Denny Cherry, Thomas Kesjer (to name but a few) are great speakers. Not only do they know their stuff, but they are also entertaining. When they present, their presentation style is anything but dry. Then there is Buck Woody. God help you if you are in the front row.
I've been to QCon. Expensive but worth it. Most companies don't have an annual training budget for the IT department sufficient to send a single person to that one. This was my 1st step outside of the Microsoft world, and it blew my mind.
Of the rest, they are the stuff of LinkedIn nightmares. Lots of hype and Red Bull, very little of substance.
The value for me was the chance to learn new things, but also to geek out and discuss ideas with people. I've been lucky in working with people who enjoyed talking about new ideas, and it was safe to do so. Talking with ex-colleagues, it appears that such a culture is a bit of a luxury.
These days, I use the MeetUp events. It's not quite the same, but there is free beer and pizza.
December 29, 2025 at 1:55 pm
I've only been to a few conferences (SQL in the City way back when, PASS twice now, a few SQL Saturdays, and PASS Chicago) so far. Generally if I don't see any sessions of interest, I don't go, especially as the closest to me has been the Chicago events.
Last year (2024) was my first PASS, paid for by my employer. I didn't have a "plan" when I went, I mostly picked sessions that sounded interesting and it kind of worked, but I also sat through a few sessions that turned out to be duds. Sessions that felt more like a "buy this" than a "learn this." I did learn things and I enjoyed the conference, but I probably could've gotten more out of it with a plan of WHAT I wanted to learn.
This year (2025) I went again on my own nickel, work had suspended all non-essential travel and training, but I also went with a firm goal of what I wanted to get out of the sessions. I went with the intent of focusing on my "soft skills," networking, relating to people more than the technical side of things. I still went to several techie sessions (I am SO looking forward to rolling out SQL 2025) but the majority of the sessions were the soft-skill sessions. Frankly, I think it helped and I think I got a bit more out of the conference.
Because, like David G said, as an introvert, dealing with people is not my strong-suit, but by attending sessions that cover dealing with people, I think I got more out of the conference. Sure, I still went to the "quiet" tables during the lunch break and pulled out a book, but I also did talk to people in the "hallway track," at least some, and made a few contacts.
Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply