Conferences - I

I just got back from STAREast and had an absolute blast. Events like that are beneficial in so many ways. You can recharge your batteries, get new ideas, meet new people, and, often, realize that no, you are not insane - instead, the project constraints are. Just like thevarious 12-step programs, recognizing that is the step out of the rabbit hole.

Now that it's over, I think back to all of the peers and colleagues I know who have never attended a software conference. Oh, there are lots of painful and valid reasons. The company won't pay for it - I can't get the time off - it's too expensive - the list goes on. Yet software development is hard. A sabbatical may be too much to wish for, but a few days a year to learn, rest and network is reasonable. We should all have that.

So, here is my suggestion. I'm going to start a series on software conferences, starting with all the neat things that happened at STAREast - why they are so important and why you should want to come. That's just to wet your appetite.

But then I'm going to explain the Matt Heusser, surefire, (all most) guaranteed way - to - get - yourself - to- a - conference - o-matic.

Boss too cheap? Doesn't matter.
Time off an issue? Not for this.
Travel budget frozen? No problem.

If you would like to change attending a conference from a wish to a reality, then, dear reader, read on ...