Not many data professionals get a personal Learning and Development (L&D) budget that we can use at our discretion. This is something I encourage you to negotiate when you are considering a job or at your annual review. We all need to learn and a budget signifies your boss cares about you.
However, your boss usually does have a budget for learning, or their boss does. These monies can often go unused because no one asks for the money. I’ve seen this too often, so take a look at my list below, pick something interesting, and ask for some funds.
My Top 5 List for 2024
It’s a bit over halfway through the year. If this were January, I’d have told you to consider SQL Bits, but that’s past. Think about it for next year.
This list is a series of events I’ve had experience with in the past. I’ve learned quite a bit at all these places, though I did have to engage with others, ask questions, take notes, and try to learn.
The PASS Data Community Summit
The PASS Data Community Summit is for database professionals. It started as a place for Microsoft SQL Server professionals, but it’s grown beyond that. There are PostgreSQL and MySQL sessions, as well as a few on CosmosDB. However, many of the attendees and speakers work with different platforms and I’ve had discussions with others on Neo4J and Redis. There are lots of analytics sessions as well (Fabric, Snowflake, etc.)
There is lots of good content, but the main reason the Summit is useful is the networking. You get a chance to meet others in your field and talk about successes, challenges, and innovative ways to work with data.
Cost: $2000-2600, depending on when you register for the conference. T&E is likely $1500-2000. Precons are extra, and they are great opportunities to get concentrated, full day, training.
When: Nov 4-8 in Seattle, WA
Live 360
Live! 360 is a mix of a few different conferences hosted together. This is part of the VS Live series, which takes place all over the US. Most of the events are scattered throughout the year, building to a larger Live 360 each Nov/Dec. The various conferences are Visual Studio Live, Data Platform Live, Techmentor, AI Live, Cloud and Containers Live and Cybersecurity/Ransomware Live.
What I like about this event is there is a wide variety of sessions and topics. I tend to focus on the data track, which has talks on different aspects of database development and administration. This has a Microsoft technology focus, and not a lot of other platforms, but there are lots of sessions on different aspects of development and team building. I’ve especially enjoyed many of the sessions on how we approach software development and teamwork. Those soft skills sometimes help us apply the technical skills.
There is less networking than the PASS Summit unless you try to meet people and spend time with them. There are networking breaks, but you must attend and talk to people. The organizers do run some after-hours events, and I’d encourage you to attend those to bond with others and get more of a chance to know your fellow attendees and speakers.
Cost: $2000, depending on when you register for the conference. T&E is likely $1500-2000 and there are packages the conference provides. Precons are extra, and just like at the PASS Summit, they are great opportunities to get concentrated training.
When: Nov 17-22 in Orlando, FL
Microsoft Ignite
I tend to work in the Microsoft space, and so I think their events are very well run and contain a lot of information. Ignite is one of their premier events and a great place to get an idea of what’s happening in the Microsoft/Azure world.
I don’t love large conferences and this is one of the larger ones. I have preferred slightly smaller events as once an event is in the 5000 and over attendee range, it’s a little too much for me.
That being said, there is a lot of marketing in these sessions. Microsoft focuses on what they want to push. Where I’ve found value at Ignite is talking with speakers after their session, asking more pointed questions about how my company might use their tech.
The way I’ve gotten the most value is by visiting the Microsoft booth at Ignite, where there is a mix of product engineers and MVPs who are volunteering time. They will whiteboard solutions for you, look at your code, and give you practical answers that are sometimes left out of the formal sessions. Plus, since most things are recorded, it’s worth spending more time talking to people.
Cost: Likely $2000+T&E. Chicago is relatively expensive but has lots of options.
When: Nov 19-22 in Chicago, IL
Note: If your L&D budget is not large enough to go too very many of these conferences, Ignite does have virtual access to many of the sessions. This is definitely not like being there in person to speak to people, but it is a viable option.
SQL Saturday Events
There are several events coming up in 2024, and no doubt there will be more next year If you don’t want to (or can’t) attend a big conference, then I might suggest a SQL Saturday near you. Many of the same speakers that will be at Summit or Live 360 will come to a SQL Saturday and practice their session or deliver something similar.
These are one-day events, sometimes with Friday precons, but usually a full packed day of sessions. Lots of networking opportunities, and this is where I’d ask to go next if I skipped a larger conference. Plus, the cost if low ($15-20 for lunch) and T&E lower. A plus if you are limited on time away is that the events are on Saturday also, so the time you will miss work is minimal.
If I had to pick only one, Oregon in Nov is great, since many experts come there before the PASS Data Community Summit.
Cost: free or low-cost lunch. T&E varies.
Agile+DevOps 2024
I’ve been honored to speak twice at Agile+DevOps, and I’ve enjoyed it both times. This is more of a software development event and one where people are focused on building better software. There isn’t a lot of hands-on technology shown, but rather a higher-level approach to the problems many of us face. These are both development and deployment (Ops) issues.
These are often real-world professionals presenting how they dealt with a situation. There are some experienced speakers, but find a lot of people delivering their first or second conference talk. However, they are sharp. While their delivery might not be polished, they know their stuff. I’ve had great conversations about how to think about being more efficient with building, testing, and operating software.
I have found relatively little database specific sessions in the past, but most people recognize the challenges of databases and are happy to discuss their solutions (sometimes) or commiserate (often) with you about a similar situation.
Cost: $2000-2500 + T&E. Training classes available
When: October 13-18 in Orlando.
Other Choices
Those are my big 5. There are lots of training classes from various places, such as SQL Skills, SQLHA, Brent Ozar, Enterprise Data and Analytics, and others.
There are also other conferences, like Oracle Cloudworld and AWS Re:Invent. If you use specific platforms, check out those conferences. I know PostgreSQL has a number of events around the world.
There are many options out there, but many of you let opportunities go by because you don’t make the effort to ask for training.
Either way, of all the budget items on your list, don’t let that L&D budget go to waste or you may lose it in the future.
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