I have long been an advocate of technology conferences for IT professionals. A little background is needed.
For the first half of my career, my manager didn’t allow me to go to conferences as they were, in his eyes, a waste of time and money. In fairness, his experience was at a large IBM-centric conference where, yes, everyone was trying to sell him something. Finally, Microsoft’s Tech-Ed was in a city where we had a branch office, and I got permission to go since I would only be 30 minutes away from an office if my help were needed.
Changed my life. Seriously, and not exaggerating.
At that conference – I was introduced to PowerShell and the benefits of an actual IT community. I tried Pluralsight and liked it enough to pay for my subscription until my employer saw the benefits and took over the cost. Being a shy, somewhat geeky guy eaten up with Imposter Syndrome, I didn’t make many new friends. The following year, I went to the rebranded Ignite and met a bunch of famous IT folks who welcomed me into the fold. Two of them (Don Jones and Greg Shields) were co-chairing a smaller conference called Techmentor. Deeper dive content? More access to experts? Held at Microsoft HQ in Redmond? Sign me up!
That was the start—over the next ten years, I went to Techmentor or the larger Live 360 conferences to learn things and connect with my peers and to mega-expos like Ignite to “shop” for new products and services needed by my employer.
Then, in 2023, I took the plunge to try public speaking. My first time speaking in front of a group larger than 10 or 12 co-workers was at Techmentor. I was, honestly, terrified. Like, ” I think I’m going to throw up,” terrified. Luckily, I had the other speakers, some of whom had known me for years, to coach and encourage me. I got through my first session and felt a rush of exhilaration. My next two sessions were rougher; live demos are certainly an acquired skill, but I got it done. And I was hooked. The thrill of speaking, being able to share what I’ve learned, AND getting to go to conferences basically for free? Yeah, count me in.
Since then, I’ve presented at Live! 360 Events in Orlando and Redmond! I’ve dealt with broken demos, learned to relax and enjoy presenting, and had some great follow-up conversations with attendees.
Sami Laiho and Dave Kawula are excellent co-chairs who do an amazing job supporting the speakers and ensuring the events are fun and informative for speakers and attendees. The gang organizing the event keeps the crowd organized, fed, and entertained for the whole week (not an easy task). Thanks to speakers like Emile Cabot, Omar Valerio, Pierre Roman, Richard Hicks, and others who all coached me, talked me off the ledge and celebrated with me.
Come see me in August at TechMentor @ Microsoft HQ ! I’ll have a discount code available after the holidays.
