UKLUG Redux
So, I went to UKLUG in the end. Like dad says, it was a no-brainer really: drink "free" beer with other geeks or sit alone in my office, drinking tea and changing the odd nappy - as dad so eloquently puts it. Manchester is only about 60 miles away, so, compared to most attendees, I had no excuse not to, considering the lengths others went to to get there.
Am I glad I went? Yeah, I guess so. I had a nice time and it was nice to put some faces to some names and chew the fat.
Did I learn anything? Not really. But then I'm not a fan of sitting in lectures. I prefer to dabble and self-learn, so only sat briefly in two presentations.
Still, it was nice to meet and chat with people, which I guess is what it's all about. That and the networking. Did I get any work out of it? No. But who knows what might come of the connections made in the future.
Will I go to another LUG? Probably not. Unless my circumstances change and I land some Lotus-based work before the next UKLUG this could well be my swan song and semi-official exit from the Lotus world.
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So you went to UKLUG and did not learn anything, not even about XPages? I am surprised. Any possibility you started the "free" beer drink before the event? That would explain it ;-)
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I only popped in to two presentations. I wasn't really there to learn though. I only bother to learn new technologies "on demand". When I see a demand for XPages (as in somebody asks me to use them) I'll learn it as I go. I'm lucky in that I pick up new skills fairly quickly, so can afford to do it "on the job".
The free beer did mean I missed the 2nd day though. I went looking round my old university and the shops in Manchester, re-living my youth.
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"this could well be my swan song and semi-official exit from the Lotus world"
Isn't it all just software? I'm not sure I get the tribal thing around software brands.
If I leave IT to go back to teaching I might do a so long and thanks but just switching from one set of tools to another? No.
Sharepoint is as relevant to me as Domino or Java....
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Indeed it is. But if the world you're residing in isn't making it pay to do so, then you need to relocate.
Should I really be taking two days off and paying to visit a LUG when I might be better off at a MUG or a FUG?
Maybe I'm being typically over-dramatic about things. When I say exit I mean like, I'm not leaving, but I am living elsewhere. If that makes sense.
Sorry I missed you btw. I did keep an eye out for name tags of people I knew to be there but missed yours.
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Well it was nice to meet you face to face.
Hope you will have a lot of Domino work and I will meet you again
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Indeed it was great to be able to put a face on your name too. Glad you did make it. And I'm sure there will be opportunities for you in the 'lotus' world in the future.
Sometimes you need to reach out to meet your destiny though!
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