Developer, Advocate! by Geertjan Wielenga

Author:Geertjan Wielenga
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: COM079000 - COMPUTERS / Social Aspects / General, COM051000 - COMPUTERS / Programming / General, COM051010 - COMPUTERS / Programming Languages / General
Publisher: Packt Publishing
Published: 2019-09-29T12:18:26+00:00

Another thing that motivates me is that I like to travel and see new countries. You also get to meet all these amazing speakers whom you usually just hear about or you've read their books and maybe only seen a video of them. Now you have the chance to sit down and actually have dinner with them!

Geertjan Wielenga: If somebody wanted to do what you're doing, what would the process be to get to that point?

Ivar Grimstad: My experience is to start small, but don't be afraid of going up there. Start by speaking internally in your company and after doing that for a while, look up some local meetups. Meetups and user groups are always looking for speakers. Anyone who just wants to speak about something is always welcome. It's so low key; you don't have to be super glossy and prepared. You just go up there and say something. You'll get the discussion going that way.

Don't be afraid of just signing up for a talk either. Many companies have put some kind of infrastructure in place for this. In my company, we have what we call "Cozy Fridays." Every Friday morning, we have somebody speaking about something. In that kind of session could be where you practice a small part of your talk. As an example, that's where I did my serverless talk for the first time. Next, I gave it at a meetup, then at a conference. Now, I'm giving the talk at Oracle Code.

Geertjan Wielenga: If you're at a party and there are no technical people around, how do you describe what you do?

Ivar Grimstad: I would say that, at a party, I'm probably more of a silent person. That contradicts what I do, I know.

I thrive on the stage and I like being there, but I don't get involved as much in social situations; I'm pretty introverted.

Being at these conferences is always kind of stressful. You want to pull back and go to your room to just relax a little bit. I'm not this super social guy, but I manage and I do this job. I'm definitely not the type who takes over the party, though!

Geertjan Wielenga: There are many people in software and the whole IT industry, in fact, who are introverted. They might think that they need to have a different kind of personality to be a speaker. Are you saying the opposite is actually the case?

Ivar Grimstad: I've talked to many speakers and most of them are actually like me in this way. When I talk about introversion, it's not that introverts don't like to talk to people, but it pulls the energy from them. I feel that is reversed when I'm on stage. Of course, I was really nervous for the first couple of years as a speaker, but you get used it. I get more energy when I'm on a stage, but then afterwards I find that I feel drained.

Geertjan Wielenga: Having a stage, a lectern, and a microphone

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