Any regular readers will know I went to the IDUG NA Tech Conference in 2012, and loved it. For me, it’s just DB2 geek heaven. I know how hard it is to get your employer to pay for such things in tough times, but it is so worth it for the inspiration and ideas you come away with. Where else can you get 4 full days of education for that price?
One of my goals for at least 6 months now, and probably closer to a year has been to become a presenter. Melanie Stopfer has been my idol/hero/professional role model for pretty close to 8 years now, and while I’m not sure I could ever match her awesome presentations, packed with useful info, I’m going to try. I submitted two abstracts for this year’s conference. I’ve been debating about also submitting a third. But overall, I’m really hoping something is accepted and I can share my knowledge with others. You’d be surprised the simple joy I get in knowing others were looking for some piece of information and found it in my blog. It’s really the main reason I blog.
The thing is, all of us have so much to share. I was reviewing blog comments today – over 200 this year! – and I have some commenters and readers with some excellent knowledge out there, and some who know how to present it well. If you haven’t already, consider submitting an abstract for a presentation at the IDUG NA 2013 Tech Conference. The worst they could do is say no. I’m best at presenting a technical concept and all the details around it that you won’t find in the documentation, plus the ones that are already documented. That’s the form my first presentation(s) will take. But if you find that intimidating, there’s another format that I’m not as good at (or not as comfortable with) – the personal experience presentation. You can take a topic and just present the specific lessons learned and your experience with the topic without necessarily presenting yourself as “The expert” on the topic.
I’m especially challenging the DB2’s Got Talent competitors from last year – Brian, Jean, Elder, Kolhi, and the rest – I know you all know how to present and learned lessons on the show that you can transform to use at the IDUG NA 2013 Tech Conference.
If your presentation is accepted, you get free conference registration. Isn’t it easier to sell your employer on the idea that you’re going to get name recognition for yourself and them by presenting, and a week of education, and all you need is travel expenses?
The deadline is September 21st for the abstract, but you don’t have to have the full presentation done until March 2013.
C’mon, take a chance – I know you can do it!
Hey Ember, I have thought about this however i am little apprehensive on what my topic should be as getting material for an hour is differnt then 5 minutes 🙂
For me, the challenge was finding something I could fit in only 5 minutes – so short. So here’s what you do – Find 5-10 small topics that you can write just short presentations on and then tie them together and come up with a nifty title (“half a dozen tips for DBAs”, “Ten things you must know”, etc)!