I'm an introvert. This is hardly a surprising statement, but like everyone else who has tried dipping their toes into the waters of tech, I've learned that this is not the world of quiet nerds who keep to themselves like the media has portrayed it. I mean, sure we're nerds, but the level of community that surrounds software is truly astounding.
Along with meet-ups and slack channels, one of main ways the tech community seems to manifest is through conferences. And to an introvert like me, it's scary enough going to a meet-up for a few hours where I may know no one in a room of 30 - a conference for a few days filled with hundreds or thousands of people is terrifying -- which is why I'm working hard to try to attend them.
I like starting with a plan of attack, so the first thing I did was attend a one-day one-room conference back in 2017 called AlterConf. That was a good intro. After having attended that, I was told that there was the opportunity to volunteer at CodeMash, a multi-day conference with a couple thousand attendees. I figured volunteering was the next best step.
CodeMash was last week. It was an incredible experience, and I'm here to bring you this: An Introvert's Guide to Volunteering at CodeMash (and Probably Other Conferences) from Someone Who's Done It Once
Step One is get the position. When the volunteer positions open up in early autumn, you'll have to let a survey know why you want to attend. Is it because you're a student who wants a better look at the dev world outside of academia? Is it because you're new in your career and want access to all sorts of amazing talks and workshops and people with experience? Mine was the latter, but those two and many others are great reasons for wanting to attend.
Step Two is convince some friends to join you. If you know anyone else who would benefit from attending a conference like this, bug them until they also apply. Having a networking wingperson, even if they're just as introverted and awkward as you is super helpful. I know for me, it's easy to talk myself out of doing things, but if someone else wants to do it, I'm great at talking them into it. So before you leave for the conference, make a vow: if your friend says they're thinking of going to a talk, chatting with a sponsor booth, or going to sit at a table with a bunch of strangers, you will always say something along the lines of "All right, let's go!". If you have no friends who are willing to join you at CodeMash, that's okay too. The first day you're there, it'll just be staff and volunteers and there's nothing like lifting heavy boxes of sweatshirts together to form an instant bond. Find some people you like and inform them they're your conference buddies now, then do the same encouraging thing you'd've done with a friend that came with you from the start.
Step Three is bother the volunteer coordinator until you get as much information as possible. Actually, it's probably better to do your own research, but to each their own. Make sure to read blog posts from previous years' attendees. Keep an eye on the speaker list for updates of who's going to go and what they'll speak on. Stay on the mailing list and read all the updates. Check the site regularly. Having a better idea of what can be on the agenda makes it easier to prep yourself mentally and emotionally. Sure, you may need to psych yourself up to attend the lightning talks after you find out that Corey Haines is running it, since you just finished his book, but it's also worth looking into new tech before you go to a talk on it -- even better, if there's a cool looking talk on say, Kotlin on Friday and an Intro to Kotlin workshop on Tuesday, try to go to both! Fun story, all of those things were available but I had to work through them, which brings me to my next point.
Step Four is prioritize. Decide what you really Really REALLY want to do and then figure out how to do it. The thing about being a volunteer is that yeah, it's free, but you still have to work for it. That doesn't mean there isn't flexibility. Other volunteers are willing to swap spots so that you have an open hour to attend the talk you want. Even better, try to work at the talk you want to attend. This will force your shy introverted self to actually talk to the speaker. Hopefully with the combined research of the previous step and the prioritizing of this one, the fact that you can go to any one of a dozen talks during any given hour won't be as intimidating anymore.
Step Five is don't stress. Maybe you're working coat check way more than you had hoped, it happens, but that doesn't mean it's not a great time to network. You have their coat, they have no choice (probably don't hold their possessions hostage if you want to volunteer again). The fact that some of my best networking happened while I was handing out sweatshirts is no coincidence. I am an introvert, but like anyone who has ever worked anywhere near customer service, I have a customer service self too, and she's MUCH more outgoing. Speakers and other cool attendees will come up to you and ask you questions and this is the perfect time to ask them questions right back. Especially since you won't know the answer to their question, and you'll have to wait for someone who does know the answer to walkie you back.
Step Six is have fun. This is a huge conference with a ton of amazing speakers and activities. Plus you're in an indoor water park. Having fun and being relaxed is an important part of having the energy and confidence to talk to people. Get enough sleep and embrace the fact that even as an attendee who doesn't have to work registration you wouldn't have the time to see and do everything you want - so see and do what you can. It's going to be an amazing week.