
Employer gave me a conference budget for next year. Can I get suggestions? - Justen
I&#x27;ve never looked into them before. I&#x27;m a js&#x2F;c# dev, but I think we can go to conferences like Google I&#x2F;O if we like. Which ones do you like or suggest I look into attending?
======
BjoernKW
I like to recommend going to conferences that broaden your horizons or give
you a different perspective.

Going to a developer conference as a developer might seem like an obvious
choice but going to an event with a slightly different though still adjacent
topic might provide a better learning experience and allow you to get to know
people from outside your usual circle of interest.

Design conferences are particularly intriguing for developers. I can highly
recommend both Reasons to: ([https://reasons.to](https://reasons.to)) and
beyond tellerrand
([https://beyondtellerrand.com/](https://beyondtellerrand.com/)). Both have a
similar background and deal with design and web topics as overarching themes
with talks ranging from front-end technology in general, data visualisation,
to typography and art (as of lately including quite a bit of generative art).

Events like that can be very inspiring and they can provide you with insights
from other subject areas that you would've never thought to have an impact on
your daily work.

~~~
akulbe
Couldn't agree more. The more we get pushed outside of our comfort zones, the
better. It helps you improve both as a person, and in your vocation.

------
eb0la
O'Reilly Strata Data Conference in San Jose. I attended this year and it was
awesome (I guess other OReilly Conferences are equally good, but since Orailly
is based in the valley I guess they can get the best speakers there), plus you
get 3 months of Safari books online with it.

I always wanted to go to a hacker conference in the Netherlands that happen
every 4 years (hip'97 / etc...) but I never can make it because always happens
something... like getting married, having babies, etc... I guess going to
Defcon would be a "safer" bet.

------
levthedev
You should definitely check out !!con. They have really fascinating and weird
talks about all sorts of interesting CS and design topics. Plus, it's pay what
you can and is located in New York, so there's lots of interesting stuff to do
nearby.

My favorite talk from this year was about implementing an algorithm for HDR
photography purely in Microsoft Excel -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkQJdaGGVM8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkQJdaGGVM8)

------
Jeremy1026
What is your budget? As that might affect what you should go for to maximize
your benefit.

