Teradata Conference – Wish I was there!

The 2008 Teradata Partners User Group Conference is starting tomorrow in Las Vegas, and two months ago I thought I would be there as well. In May, I sent in a proposal for a presentation and after being put on the waiting list, I was actually invited to go speak at the conference. Needless to say, I was excited. But too bad, Vodafone wasn't willing to cover the expenses. There were actually a couple of reasons, which I'm not going to discuss in public. I could understand the reasoning behind it, and I had a pretty good talk with my boss (well, actually my boss' boss). I was disappointed of course, but at the same time I left the meeting room feeling pretty optimistic about my future. And let's be honest, aside from the usual networking and learning reasons, I also wanted to go because it's in Las Vegas, with traveling expenses being covered by the company! It's like a free vacation! In Las Vegas!

A part of me was actually happy that it didn't go through. The same part which was convinced I would just make a fool of myself in front of an international professional crowd. During these situations, I always realize again just how strong this part of me still is. Even though I really wanted to be there, I also experienced some anxiety and stress. I kept thinking about it all the time, often saying to myself that maybe I should just give up before I start screwing up. Being selected as a speaker obviously helped in my self confidence, but I still felt pretty uncomfortable at times about going there. Of course, I didn't give up, and if the opportunity arises again, I would definitely give it a shot again.