Comfortable at a conference

Once again, I am attending the largest conference in my research field. By now, I have been here a few times, and every time has been very different.

My first attendance was downright intimidating. 10 thousand attendees, a million things to do and see, and I didn't really know anybody. Yes, at some point I ran into one of my committee members; he introduced me to those he was speaking to and kept an eye on me for a little while. Yes, I knew the names of some of the professors in attendance, and even though I brought their website pictures on a print out along with their affiliations and research interests and was determined to introduce myself to some of them, it turned out that finding them in the crowd was more difficult than anything (I did introduce myself to a few, which took a lot of bravery on my part). One of the best things that happened to me during that attendance is that I started thinking about getting internships, and somehow was even asked to send my resume to a few of the places I was interested in. Drawing on that experience, I was able to eventually line up my first internship.

And, suddenly, my next attendance to this very same conference was much, much easier. Not only I already knew how to parse through the huge amount of options of what to do during the conference and pick what was most beneficial to me, I also knew enough people to keep having conversations in the halls, etc. Because there were now people that wanted to talk to me, I started feeling like a part of this research community.

Next, I got a chance to get involved in the conference organization, which allowed me to meet some of the most active people in the field. Seeing how an event like this comes together, and having an impact on it was a blast, even though it was a lot of work. It has been so hugely beneficial to me both in terms of learning, improving my connections, and learning new skills, that I decided that when I grow up, I need a job that will value my involvement in the community, and encourage this type of service. Where before I thought this type of service was just something people did because they had to and it took their time away from their "real responsibilities," now I understood the value of these activities and how much fun it can be to be involved.

These days, I truly enjoy attending this conference. I love catching up with people I have met in the years before, I love meeting new people (and you never know who you will meet!), and just generally enjoy the whole experience. When I hear other students say things like "I don't have the time to go to a conference," I try to persuade them to try it out. Because the time investment is well worth it, and it really cannot be replaced by anything else. Yes, hard work is a necessary condition for success, but unless you go out and share it with your research community, you will never know what collaboration opportunities you are missing, and what feedback you might have gotten while you were just chatting with someone you just met over dinner.