For those that don’t know, there’s an awesome conference that started in the Midwest in 2012 called THAT Conference. Since 2013, THAT Conference has supported Humanitarian Toolbox through THAT GiveCamp the weekend before the conference begins. I have participated every year, and for the past 2 years, myself, my husband and our great friend Dan have helped coordinate and run it in collaboration with many of the great people behind THAT Conference.
I have been a lot more engaged this year with THAT Conference, beyond participation in the GiveCamp. It was great meeting many new people during registration. I had the opportunity to get to know more of the crew that helps run the show. I spent a lot of time this year in specific sessions and Open Spaces that focused on learning ways to break past my self-doubt and start contributing more of myself to this tech community I love.
To give a bit of backstory, I owe a lot of where my career is today to the year 2012. I had been attending a lot of local tech meetups and day events since 2008, but 2012 was the first year I started attending national technical conferences. During that whole period of time, I was not yet in an IT role! But thanks to the experiences I had at these events, specifically in that year, that heavily influenced my decision to go back to school and ultimately land my first role in IT as a developer. THAT Conference was one of the conferences I attended that year. I’m proud to say that I’ve been to every THAT Conference, it’s an event I look forward to every August.
There’s always been something special about the tech community across Wisconsin and the Midwest; I have always enjoyed meeting new people and hearing about what they work on. THAT Conference was just what I needed at the time to convince myself I can be a part of something great, and right here in the Midwest.
One thing I can say I love above all else around THAT Conference is it is the only technical conference I am aware of that provides a family track, an opportunity for family members to experience, understand and participate in what we all do as part of our careers in a variety of ways, and perhaps even craft their own part in its future. I have to say, I admire the young speakers!
I can never fully express what THAT Conference means to me. It has played a part in where I am today, and wherever I may go or do in the future.
For more information about THAT Conference, https://www.thatconference.com/ . I strongly encourage you to attend, especially if you are located in the Midwest. You won’t be disappointed!
And you can contribute to Humanitarian Toolbox in a variety of ways all year round. More information about Humanitarian Toolbox at http://www.htbox.org/ and https://github.com/htbox .