Then I remembered that one of the advantages of being a geek is that you get to geek-out on things that excite you. These days my casual clothes consist primarily of SQL Saturday Speaker shirts and SQL Server T-shirts from past events. I read books on SQL Server during my free time and I even have a birthmark shaped like a recursive CTE. Without a doubt I am a huge SQL Geek and the biggest event for SQL Server geeks is the PASS Summit. I’ve been presenting at SQL Saturdays for the last three years and I have submitted to the PASS Summit each year as well. I submitted again this year without much hope. Near the end of June I found out I was speaking and I shouted,
“SQUEE!!!!!”
, but, you know, just in my head, because I was at work. It was pretty much all I talked about for the first week after they announced the speaker selection. I had many conversations (mostly one-sided as time went on) that started with, “Did you hear I got picked to speak at the Summit?” For the first several weeks I would lie awake imagining my presentation up on a huge stage with a headset microphone, one of those cool laser-clicky-things, and maybe a black turtleneck. I found ways to steer conversations to the topic of public speaking and was mildly obnoxious about the whole thing – at least with friends and family. I mostly kept my cool in the workplace, but did manage to let it slip a couple of times – all the while sporting a big goofy grin. If it isn’t clear I am very excited about getting picked to present at the Summit.
OK. If I haven’t already cornered you and told you in person, I will be presenting a session called Twice in a Lifetime: T-SQL Refactoring 101 at the 2014 PASS Summit. And while this session isn’t as inherently geeky as the Ghostbusters themed session on FileStream I submitted last year (Don’t Cross the FileStreams: It would be Bad) it was a lot of fun to write my Talking Heads infused abstract. Whenever I present I am filled with a combination of dread and excitement that I am sure will be multiplied at the Summit. It will be my first time on a national stage and I have two goals – make sure the attendees learn something and to not screw it up so that I get asked back again next year. I’ll let you know how it goes. I will be presenting at 1:30pm on Thursday Nov 6, if you are at the PASS Summit this year come by and check it out or maybe just wish me luck.
]]>All the cool kids keep enthusiasm rationed
Right down to the last explosive ounce
But I’d rather indulge my many passions
Even if my squaritude is overly pronounced
Each month at our user group meetings we have someone present on something that relates to our careers as SQL Server professionals and each year we host a SQL Saturday where we usually have at about 35-40 different people present. We are lucky in the Twin Cities because it isn’t usually hard to fill those spots. We have a lot of people involved in our community and many people who enjoy speaking or at least see the value in it.
And yet I spend a fair amount of energy convincing new people to submit sessions and to begin presenting. Without getting to deep the reason for this is because I believe it is a great way to get involved and I believe that everyone has a story to tell and knowledge to share. I might be a little obsessive about it because I tend to end most conversations with user group members by asking, “When are you going to get up there and present?”
The amazing part is most people don’t say an outright, “No way.” Public speaking is supposed to be this huge fear, but people don’t use that as a reason not to get up in front of a large group and put themselves on display to be judged by their peers. (FYI: Your peers in the SQL Family are pretty nice. They always have more positive things to say than negative.) No, it isn’t fear that people use an excuse, but lack of ideas. After asking someone when they want to present about half the time the response I get back is that they can’t think of a topic to present. Maybe that is just an excuse to cover up the fear of public speaking, but I am here today to remove that excuse and to provide the answer to the oft asked question,
“What topic should I present on?”
It has to be about SQL Server, working as a SQL Server professional, or something non-SQL that data geeks might enjoy. That is about the only rule. You shouldn’t eliminate a topic because it has been done before – you will add something to it. And don’t worry about not being the foremost expert on a topic; you need to know enough to present the topic confidently, but putting together a presentation is a great way to learn more.
OK, here is a list of topics you can choose from to submit to SQL Saturday #332.
Some of my sessions might sound a little tongue-in-cheek, but I do believe there is a session or at the very least a lightning talk behind each one of those suggestions. Once you pick your topic you can submit for SQL Saturday Minnesota or if you want to start with a short 5-10 minute presentation at one of our user group meetings you can email the PASSMN board at [email protected].
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