I'm Speaking...Again

Back in april I wrote this about my first time speaking. In 3 days I'll be speaking once again but this time I'm giving TWO talks. My first talk will be targeted at people with an idea and talking them what to look for in a developer for their mvp (minimum viable product). My final talk will target people that want to get into mobile development as a career. I'm going to post the abstracts below but I wanted to talk about why I'm doing this. Actually...I have no clue why I'm doing this. lol I had a goal of doing 1 conference talk, but these last two were stretch goals. I had this wild idea that I could start doing conference talks to solidify my place as a SME (Subject Matter Expert) in mobile development. It is true that Android is my platform of choice but I study/keep up with all things mobile. I don't know if these talks have gotten me what I wanted just yet but I can see how they are helping me build my network.

I brain dump all of this to say that you should try speaking atleast once especially if your in tech. There are 2 key things I believe you get out of being a speaker. The first obvious thing is building your network with other speakers, others at the conference in general, and sponsoring companies. The final and truly the coolest reason is that you gain confidence. Yes, my heart races and I want to leave the room once I get in front of a group BUT then you look out and see people listening to your words and asking questions. When your done you really sit back and think "I'm the sh*t! People came and listened to me talk, asked questions, and valued my opinion". Most devs have imposter sydrome and I think taking the risk to talk at a meetup, small conference, school event, whatever can really help you out. Well I have no other advice as I need to finish a powerpoint so I'll leave you with my abstracts...

The Bridge to MVP

During this talk I will talk about what it takes to go from idea to app mvp. We will talk about how to optimize your dollars, what to look for in a developer, and what platforms you should know as well as their pros and cons. Upon leaving you should feel confident in your ability to talk to a developer.

The Phone Life: How to get into a mobile development position

During this talk I will give tips on how to prepare for a mobile development career. Everyone wants an app nowadays but there are a few things you can do to set yourself apart. I’ll also give insight on where I see mobile development going within the next few years and how to prepare.

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