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Data Scotland
On the 13th of September 2019, I spoke at DataScotland; my first time talking at a data conference.
My quasi-clickbait title was Feel Validated with dbachecks. If you guessed that I was talking about dbachecks then you’re right.
This is a brief retrospective of that time. Thinking back on that time still makes me relive the emotions that I felt. Nervousness, excitement, and panic.
Good times!
Appreciation
This was my first time speaking at a conference as well as my first time attending Data Scotland.
I recommend that you check it out. It’s an amazing conference created by passionate people and staffed by dedicated volunteers.
The Good
What didn’t count as the good is the way to put this!
- Amazing fellow speakers.
- Getting to meet other first-time speakers.
- Talking with the volunteers.
- Speaking with attendees.
- Seeing people who I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Thank you to Craig Porteous, Louise Paterson, Paul Broadwith, and Robert French for all your work and encouragement.
Thank you as well to Brent Miller, Andrew Pruski, David Alcock, and John McCormack for help with the presentation.
The Bad
Feeling drained.
I don’t put this down to DataScotland though.
You may not have heard from me for the last month. I felt drained and took time off from public exposure.
A full year of constant working on the day job and personal work.
2 conferences a month on average for the last year.
Spreading myself out on projects about SQL, PowerShell, Containers, Python, AWS, and Azure without rest.
It’s not something I could sustain without factoring in sharpening the axe time.
Overall
I’m easing myself back into things again with the caveat of planning ahead and making sure I don’t overwhelm myself.
First thing on my list, planning for DataScotland next year.
Whether it’s speaking, volunteering, or attending, I’ll be there.