networking

In case you missed it, it’s the Big Data LDN conference this week! I wanted to take this opportunity to share some thoughts I had around the benefit of conferences, and work-related meetups too.

tl;dr: 🤝 Networking = ✅ Good.

Earlier on in my career, I thought conferences were only good for the freebies, and I admit I was a little more shy about just turning up at any Meetup.

I thought I had enough friends and colleagues and that the effort involved to find new ones wasn’t worth it.

I remember my manager during my ExxonMobil placement year told me I was a “natural networker” - and I just thought he misread me.

“Networking” just felt like some thing people do at conferences when they’re bored.

Yep, I was wrong.

Naturally, time+growth took its course - and I naturally had more exposure to networking, particularly when I hated my job at the Investment Bank and I was desperately trying to move into a startup.

Like my friend Igor Šlat in his post I’m sharing, my direct applications weren’t being so fruitful.

I like free food so I started going to meetups. Lots of them. I was a little nervous at the start, but my good friend James Walters chaperoned me to a Product Meetup near London Bridge, and it felt natural immediately! It might not feel natural for everyone, but trying is the only way to find out.

Fast-forward 8 years, and 4 startups later…..

💡 I’ve made countless genuine connections with people who share both work-related interests, and some more niche hobbies…

🎓 I’ve vastly deepened and broadened my perspective on tech and startups.

💼 I’ve had a personal intro to a big VC who I previously challenged at a talk of theirs about why they didn’t want to invest in OnlyFans.

🤝 I’ve had a job offer from someone I told a terrible dad joke to at a Product Meetup in London.

💰 I’ve had two large enterprise companies initiate PoCs with Lightdash after sharing pizzas with them at an Analytics meetup.

To everyone looking for a job in this market, take a look at Igor’s post, and maybe even consider my words too - don’t underestimate the value of networking!

To everyone trying to find their way in their early career - you can learn a lot from others (and get some free food) at local Meetups! Working on an online course is great. But nothing can replace in-person human connection - you might even find your future employer… or customers!

To everone else - conferences like Big Data LDN might seem expensive, or a hassle to organise, but what it, like any other conference or meetup does so well is facilitate real in-person human connection.

And no tech hype buzzword is replacing that any time soon.