It's That Time of Year!
October typically marks the start of my conference season, and this year has been no exception. If you've glanced at my schedule in the left sidebar, you may have noticed that I started with a new conference, at least for me, ITEC, in Iowa. Even a new conference, though, means some of the same familiar faces.
After you've put in time doing conferences for several years, it becomes apparent that there is a hard-core of presenters who make the rounds year after year. I'm not referring to the Keynote speakers, with their national reputations and substantial fees to support them. Rather I refer to the ones who, like me, continue to present at conferences from year to year, despite little, if any, in the way of financial compensation. Occasionally, a conference may pick us up as a featured speaker and at least cover our expenses, but I don't think any of us really expect to get rich doing this. We do it because it's part of who we are and what we do. We do it for the sense of satisfaction one can get, knowing that our efforts are truly appreciated by those attending our sessions. When I retired from classroom teaching over 5 years ago, some of my colleagues at the time asked if I was going to give up the tech conferences since they didn't pay. Well, look at my schedule. That's my answer...I'm doing more conferences each year in my retirement than I ever did when I was working full-time. And besides, as I told them, "How can I give this up? It's too much fun!"
After you've put in time doing conferences for several years, it becomes apparent that there is a hard-core of presenters who make the rounds year after year. I'm not referring to the Keynote speakers, with their national reputations and substantial fees to support them. Rather I refer to the ones who, like me, continue to present at conferences from year to year, despite little, if any, in the way of financial compensation. Occasionally, a conference may pick us up as a featured speaker and at least cover our expenses, but I don't think any of us really expect to get rich doing this. We do it because it's part of who we are and what we do. We do it for the sense of satisfaction one can get, knowing that our efforts are truly appreciated by those attending our sessions. When I retired from classroom teaching over 5 years ago, some of my colleagues at the time asked if I was going to give up the tech conferences since they didn't pay. Well, look at my schedule. That's my answer...I'm doing more conferences each year in my retirement than I ever did when I was working full-time. And besides, as I told them, "How can I give this up? It's too much fun!"
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