notdevin

The way I got into tech was through conferences, not as an attendee but as a volunteer. What’s interesting about conferences is that the people there who are truly getting shit done, show up for the one thing they need and then leave as fast as possible. Aside from hackathons, everything else is just a vacation.

@backpack put a bank in your pocket and use your money whenever, wherever, however without permission

/backpack
/notdevin
icebreaker.xyz/notdevin

My take is that everything you see at a conference is a red herring and worth almost nothing. The average outcome of attending a conference is to do and accomplish nothing, both by attendees and those that pay for booths. Speakers are the ones most people want to talk to and most speakers are literally opposed to talking to attendees if not in action then certainly in body language and intent. As a volunteer you won’t get to see the booths or talk to people on the floor much, but if you get it right you’ll get to talk to the people who actually can help you

What’s the difference between then, volunteering and just attending?, you get to do more?

Yeah it was @ommalik GigaOm events. They were an import conduit of incredibly thoughtful and more usefully technical conversations. I might hold a different opinion of conferences were they still alive, though I don’t think the world right now appreciates all that those conversations were

Can you remember the first conference you voluntarily attended 

1.)web3 NEWBIE  2.)memer 3.)Trying to build 4.)shitposter💩 5.) charts📈

One day I’ll put time into writing, now I just don’t have it 😢

1. I went to my first tech conference around 31/32
2. The first conference I went to was run by some amazing humans that I’m forever grateful to have met. I demonstrated I knew how to work hard and instead of working for my required 3hrs, they asked if I could stay for another couple hours, I stayed for 3 days unpaid and they ended up asking if would work the next conferences. I think I did another 4-5 that year for them and then they paid me which was neat because I was broke af
3. Nope :) find the life hacks, they’re there and almost nobody else is looking for them

i’ve honestly been at war with myself thinking about this too but i’m trying to find out the how to go about doing it. i also have a lot of questions like
1.) At what age did you begin doing it.
2.) Does that mean you travelled a lot (did you travel for the conferences and came back the same day or had friends that you could sleep over at their place for that day)
3.) Also did it cost a lot?



if you wrote a book about this or an article on it i’d most definetly love to read it

With all due respect, fuck those people, they know not what they say. I’m a dropout, blue collar house painter, and snowboarder. Nobody has ever been right about what I can or can’t do but me

I have always wanted to get into tech but people around me tell me it’s impossible because I am a med student

Actively participating, Crytpo enthusiast' Love music, food and memes💆‍♀️

Volunteering was a cheat code hiding in plain sight, look for those, maybe that one still works but I’d start there regardless. If it’s already known, then look where others aren’t. Look for where there is hard work people are annoyed with but puts you in the place to open doors

Wowww that’s rare 
Do you have a way to introduce someone who is interested to the tech ?
Or a link or app or something

Art enthusiast, passionate about mental growth, and an ever-learning individual

Volunteers don’t get a direct choice, so I showed up excited and they put me in the speaker ready room, so I got to help prep every speaker, it was priceless

I know that one about conferences 💯 
Everything there, is official

What did you volunteer to do, in the conference though ?
Volunteered as a speaker ?

Meme enthusiast | CS Major |  I like shoes | Shitcaster | Anime

Learning for a lifetime is a gift that only humans seem to possess, I dare not waste that

You’ve learnt a lot things just by being there

The other day you learned programming by attending a few classes, it wasn’t even you class haha

You’re a real adventurer of knowledge huh?

Not following the question exactly, help me out

hackathon?
Like who hacks for the longer period?

Web 3 novice/Web developer/UI/UX designer

Great question, yes it definitely gave me a perspective I wouldn’t have known to ask for

Wow, That’s an interesting way to get into tech! 

I’ve never had the chance to attend a conference but I’ve always wanted to. Volunteering sounds like a smart way to dive in, meet people, and learn. Do you think it gave you a different perspective on how things really work?

When life gives you lemons, sell them and buy a pineapple. Med Student | Crypto | Fitness

That’s awesome! Just keep at it, and yeah I love to code now, when I got into tech I barely understood why there was more than one type of equal operator. The sky is the limit

Going volunteer must’ve meant you genuinely wanted to learn stuff. I’ve had interest in tech for the longest time now but it’s been overwhelming. Been learning how to design mini apps lately and tbh it’s been going great. 
You seem like you’re into coding too

Trick question, they can’t, goal driven attendees stay focused on their goals ;)

How can conferences be more focused for goal driven attendees?

Volunteer at a conference if that cheat code hasn’t already been discovered, otherwise finding a cheat code is part of your motivation. If you use a conference to get started, don’t mistake that for what should be continued. Conferences are just vacations and networking at conferences is a stepping stone not a destination

I have been trying to get into tech but I don’t know where to start from, can you recommend?

great pov devin

volunteering at conferences can really open up networking opportunities and give you a unique view of the industry

i agree, focusing on meaningful interactions over just attending for the sake of it can lead to real progress

have you found any particular conferences to be especially impactful? maybe you can plug me

Hi Devin (or not😁) 
So I just want to know when you say tech do you mean the robots and engineering aspects or you mean the software, web design and all other things 
Because my brother calls himself a tech bro and all he does is web design