
Ask HN: What are the best conferences you've been to for your growth? - JakeWesorick
What are some of the best conferences you&#x27;ve been to for your own professional development? I have a $5000 a year professional development budget but I don&#x27;t know how to spend it.
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BjoernKW
I'd suggest those two mentioned here
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15075874](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15075874)
in a reply to a similar question

Both Reasons to: ([https://reasons.to](https://reasons.to)) and beyond
tellerrand ([https://beyondtellerrand.com/](https://beyondtellerrand.com/))
are very much about broadening you horizons. These conferences cover a wide
range of design- and technology-related subjects from down-to-earth pragmatic
matters like particular JavaScript or CSS techniques, to more conceptual
design topics, typography, social issues related to design and more artistic
endeavours like calligraphy, generative art or even performance art.

All of these very different aspects often have surprising and delightful ways
of connecting with each other and inspiring ideas.

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caser
If you have an inclination to try out remote work for 2-4 weeks and think your
company would go for it, we've had several people successfully use their prof.
development budget for Hacker Paradise.

We're like an extended unconference that pops up in different cities around
the world, and more fun / in-depth if you can get away for a bit. We do weekly
talks and other workshops for professional development, and you get to connect
with people from the local tech scene as well as those from around the world.

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ohjeez
I'd look for a balance of "tools I need to understand today" skills (e.g.
advanced training in whatever programming language you use), "forward-looking
stuff" (e.g. MIT futurology conference), and something for the intersection of
your spiritual/creative self (such as the Grace Hopper Conference or the
Business Innovation Factory).

That'd use up $5000, depending on travel costs.

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brd
Go where you have an industry in, get introduced to others and build your
network. A conference is short lived but a single good contact can make your
career.

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atsaloli
I attribute my professional success as a system administrator in no small part
to attending USENIX LISA conferences.

[https://www.usenix.org/conference/lisa17](https://www.usenix.org/conference/lisa17)

Excellent training for system administrators.

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akulbe
ChefConf was great for me. First one this July, and I intend on going back in
'18\. (I do automation development, primarily in Chef.)

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oaf357
All Things Open

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probinso
scipycon, no contest

