I find that I’m humming and hawing about conferences and whether they’re valuable or not, and have been for years.
I think that I’m stuck in my old way of thinking from way back when I was a programmer and was made to attend certain conferences whether I wanted to or not. Man those things were boring! How to choose which breakout session to go to when they all suck? And then I’d think oh well, I’m not paying for any of this anyways so who cares? It was at least nice to have a change of scenery from my cubicle Hell!
Well now I’m my own boss and I’m not about to waste any of my own time or money. All I have to go on are these past experiences, but I’m thinking that it’s time to start changing my tune. Wouldn’t it be great to connect with other folks in my industry? Wouldn’t it be exciting to learn some new things and discuss new ideas with others just like me? I’m thinking that it’s time to cast aside my old jaded conference memories and take a leap of faith! There is a live Summit of VAs coming up this year and it’s not even that far away from where I live – I’ll keep you posted on whether I’m going to go or not.
But in the meantime, do you attend industry seminars? Do you find them useful? I’d love to hear some other experiences to help me either confirm or get over my conference expectations…