The Upside of Developer Events

The real benefit is connecting to the broader community of ideas

A decade ago, I was attending an event every night of the week. Sometimes if I was super ambitious, I would attend two or more events in an evening. It was 2010 in New York City, as the nascent NYC tech startup scene was growing.

Winding down my own startup, I realized my huge Achilles heel. In my futile attempts at fund raising and hiring, I had no network and no credibility. I was too busy being a founder to network or learn from others or to share ideas.

I should have made time to come up for air and go to some events. Many of the mistakes I made could have been avoided had I spoken with others and listened to their own plights.

Over the course of 2010, by attending lots of events, I changed the entire trajectory of my career. I became an investor and advisor to many B2B tech startups in NYC. It’s not a stretch to say that all my work the past decade, including my joining Stack Overflow, was a direct consequence of the network started building at the start of the decade.

I am fond of saying that events are force multipliers for one’s career. You are exposed to new ideas and build valuable connections with peers. Not all events are worthwhile and I share a few pointers here on finding high quality events. When you choose good events however, it is no exaggeration to say it can be life-changing.

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