On Choosing What To Be When You Grow Up

[serinde]

So all the years I was working in ISP-land, I was jealous of the other kids of my acquaintance who got to go to things like Usenix and SANS and Black Hat and what-not.

Then, I come unto academia, and I see that practically the whole department, it seems like, flits from conference to conference like bees amongst the meadow flowers. "Ah hah!", thought I, "now it's my turn, at last." But then I stopped to consider: what sort of conferences would I go to? Managerial training? It might be useful, indeed it probably would be, but the thought has all the allure of a trip to the dentist...without promise of a lollipop. My role isn't technical enough, really, to get to go to the tech conferences, so that's out--though now that I stop to think, I realize that I didn't truly want to go to learn all about Revisions to Wireless Protocols or A New Way Of Looking At Kernel Hacking; I wanted to go because everyone else was doing it and it sounded like a good time. This is the wrong reason to attend a professional event, it seems to me.

Ergo, a theory: Gauge your interest in a particular career path based on whether the idea of a conference pertaining to that profession is something you greet with excitement and anticipation. So far, the only thing that springs to mind is Kalamazoo, which I've been like the poor kid outside the toy store every single year since I first heard of it, and I swear to God I'm going next year. But I'll be on the lookout for others that strike a chord.

Addendum: I also pondered the fact that I always rejected a career in academia (I mean, on the academic side) because I am a rotten explainer and I'm afraid of public speaking. But as I start getting desensitized by these Godforsaken new student orientation, it's less monumental; and I wonder whether my Failure to Explain is exactly relevant--I wouldn't be telling them This Is How You Factor A Determinant, but sharing with them all the really cool shit I've learned about historical thing X. (...nedlnthred has been trying to get this across to me for several years now. Finally, the penny drops. I are slow.)

Comments

[nedlnthred.livejournal.com]

Heh. I have you now, Little One...

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Hey, I forgot to ask, are you presenting or organizing a track at K'zoo this year?

[nedlnthred.livejournal.com]

No. Was going to, but couldn't fill either of the sessions I'd proposed. Didn't have time or energy to bug people to step in. Maybe next year. Then again, maybe not. It's not like we don't have enough going on in our lives.

[spride.livejournal.com]

I guess this (http://www.manager-tools.com/) would be pretty interesting. But then that's because they're interesting people rather than that management is in itself interesting. They said something pretty worrying the other day, which I wish I could remember more accurately; it was about if you dislike confrontation you're really not cut out to be a manager. Ulp.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Yes. I'm horrible at confrontation until something trips my wires and I get furiously pissed off--which is the exact wrong state to be managing people in.

[spride.livejournal.com]

Got it in one, sista. You and me both.

[must-sew-faster.livejournal.com]

That's a very common issue with management. Our hospital paid Studer Group to give a training speech to key employees/management last year.
It was pointed out by the Studer group rep that this failure to confront is exactly where most management fails; they are afraid to point out to the employee when the employee does something wrong..and they ignore it and allow it to go on, and then eventually, the employee is acting very outrageously. And management tells HR "This employee must go!" And HR has absolutely no leg to stand on, because the employee has never been verbally warned, written up or given any sort of note with their yearly evaluation.
Of course, the hospital paid Studer Group all this money to teach the management to step in and initiate change, and management has without fail has totally disregarded every single suggestion. Very frustrating.

[briony530.livejournal.com]

I've never found you bad at explaining anything...

Psst...we both have Gromit on LJ icons!!!