Sideways career

Right... Second attempt at this post 😀

This is a bit of a long story, but rather than keep everything cryptic, and saying it at the end I'm going to do it backwards :)

In February this year I made my way to another country, the first time I'd flown by choice since 2004, and gave my first tech talk at a conference.

Considering how much I get terrified if I have to be with a group of people I was shocked, happily shocked, at just how much I enjoyed it, and by the comments I got from people afterwards.

And... Since then I've live coded for the Microsoft Insider Tour - demonstarting what you can do with new technology and given the first talk another 5 or 6 times at conferences and meetups.

And... I rounded the year off by giving a new talk a shakedown at a meetup, ready for a conference next February.

And... I've even been a guest on two tech podcasts! Once of which has already aired, the other will at some point in the future. Though I have no idea when...

I'm still dumbfounded that talking in front of people is something I enjoy, and even more dumbfounded that people actually listen when I do 🤣

(and, because why not another "and"..., actually, if I can get my anxiety in check, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at some ameteur dramatics... But then I would need time for that!)

I was always in awe of people who gave talks at conferences, and now I have a new found respect for them. The effort that goes into preparing a talk is tremendous. I think that both of my talks have taken more than 200 hours to get to the point where I could try them out. And that is outside of work time, so basically just about every spare hour I had to make sure that I was ready in time...

In fact, after I returned from the first talk I was asked by my other half is this meant that I was going to be seen in the house - rather than coming home from work and dissapearing to the attic study to work on the talk.

But I get so much back from it, andf I can't say why. Put me in a room of people and I'll leave in tears, total anxisety attack. Even when I'm with family I need a book or my phone with me so that I have an escape route should I start to panic.

And yet... When I'm standing on a podium in front of a room full of people and whilst it is very, very scary, and the stress and nerves before I start are out of this world, once I start to talk, it's fine.

I also like that afterwards, normally, people come up and talk to me. Because whilst I can't go up to people and start a conversation, it is quite nice to have a conversation when someone comes up to me.

So, that is the highlight that I am taking from 2019. It's the year I got on a plane more than once to go and talk in front of a group of developers.

Not everything that I mentioned in my last post, but one of the most unexpected for myself 😊

And in the next post I'll go into the 'how' I got started - because that is a story that I quite enjoy!

I'm not even counting any more...

Err... Right... You're not supposed to appologise when you have a massive gap between posts are you?

Well, sorry...

The last 2 years have been a roller coaster for me here.

• We got a new house (awesome!)
• I got my classic car back on the road (nightmare mixed with emotion, mixed with awesome)
• A totaly and utter crash on the mental health front (could be better...)
• A new side career (super awesome, OMG, I love it! There are not enough superlatives)

But... I am still here, and I am on a road to recovery.

In fact, the last year has been more varied than I could have ever imagined.

Right now I am so pushed for time that I am going to have to leave you clinging onto the edge of your seats, but tune in this time next week (month? I hope it's earlier than that), and I'll do my best to break up my last 2 years into bitesize chunks.

(Oh, and thanks to Calie for saying hi on Cass' blog - that gave me the kick to let you all know that I am here, and whilst not 100% OK, certainly not in a bad way...)

Stace