When I decided that I wanted to get into the “speaker” gig, I went straight for the SQL Saturdays. I wasn’t surprised when I was rejected the first time, but the second time I was a little disappointed. At that point, Arnie Rowland, suggested that I start by supporting the local user groups. I took his advice to heart and contacted the Eugene UG as you can see from the top post. It took three tries, and I had a number of technical issues, but I made it and still grinned the whole 180 miles back home!
Now I’ve made it a habit to support the local user groups in my area ranging up and down the Willamette Valley and even going as far east as Spokane, WA to see my friend Josh Smith, the leader out there. You know, it’s a real blast.
Last year I did my own May Madness and presented on Azure Storage Performance Tuning starting in Eugene, then Olympia, then Salem, and finally Portland (times 2, it’s complicated). Later that year I flew out to Spokane to finish up the set. When I present at a UG, I’m wont to encourage the attendees to come up with a topic that they can speak for 5,10,15 minutes on and then go CONTACT THEIR LOCAL UG LEADER. I promise you they will make time for you to get up and just start presenting. After that, start submitting to the SQL Saturdays and you might just get selected! But, in the meantime, volunteer to help out with the group. It’s a good way to learn the mechanics of a group, get a good idea of popular and/or useful topics, and also meet some really nice and intelligent people.
It can be a bit of a wild ride, but I’ve made a number of good friends along the way and am proud to be part of the #SQLFamily. What are you waiting for? (from my slide deck)
