T-SQL Tuesday 188 - Growing the Younger Data Community and Speakers

T-SQL Tuesday is a monthly blog party hosted by a different community member each month. This month, John Sterrett (blog) asks us:

What are you doing, or what can we do to encourage younger people to get involved in the SQL community while increasing the number of younger speakers?

Additional note on the topic: I think of “younger data community and speakers” not in terms of age, but how long one has been working in data. If you’re a career changer who was able to make the move because your kids just left for college and you have more time to learn now, I’d still consider you “younger” in the community.

Three Sides to the Story

This is going to be a longer post, because it includes three different accounts of the same events. When Courtney Woolum (blog) saw this month’s topic, her interest was piqued as a newer speaker in the community. I mentioned to her that my first thought was a conversation she and I had at PASS Summit 2023 (more on that in a bit) and she gave me the OK to write about it. Then I thought “hey, we should post her story. She doesn’t have a blog set up yet but I’m cool with hosting guest posts.” Discussion happened and now we have this single post with both our perspectives. Then we decided that since Steve Clement was there for it as well, we should invite him to give his view on what happened. So here we go.

Courtney’s Version

In 2023 I was another victim of Allen White’s (bsky | blog) “anyone can present” speech. His push got me in front of my local user group to talk about Jumping Into Power BI. Suddenly, I knew there was something I could talk about for 60 minutes. I attended my first PASS that fall, spending a substantial amount of time on the Hallway Track meeting people far smarter than me with names more well-known than mine. Unbeknownst to me, I had befriended an established presenter who seemed bent on more firmly pulling me into the fold.

Enter stage right, Ben Weissman (bsky | blog). He swung over to say hi to one Mr. Andy Levy and one Mr. Steve Clement only to be redirected to me and my recent presenting exploit on my home turf. Ben tells me all about New Stars of Data and the upcoming call for speakers I should totally submit to. Andy is working the room, Steve is being of no help reigning him in, and Ben is slowly winning this debate. New Stars sounds cool. Definitely too big-stage for me. But, isn’t that the point? By the end of that conversation, it was abundantly clear I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I have a passion for index optimization, and it seemed like the perfect topic to really dig my teeth into for a proper presentation. The next year I presented twice at my user group, once for New Stars, and again at PASS. I was also asked to speak on a panel about the importance of community involvement, and one piece of advice obviously stuck. “Don’t be afraid to insert yourself into a conversation with a group of three or more people.” One of the attendees found me and a few others talking and inserted herself right in “because there are at least three people.” Our community thrives on building connections and sharing knowledge, and every event I attend further proves it.

At my user group meetings, we always start with a talk on the benefits of speaking. Now we’re building out a mentorship program for getting new speakers to do lightening talks. We’ve successfully done a panel with a couple board members at a local university, and I’m looking to reach out to other schools and career centers to do more. I share our meetings on social media, Slack, and with my coworkers to get more involvement. Every monthly meeting we have a new attendee is another great month. I may not be the most prolific presenter, but I’d love to help you get rolling if you’re afraid to make the jump. A great first step is to start attending a local user group. If you don’t have one nearby, look for events in the area that are in traveling distance or get involved in online communities. I started as a spectator in a Slack channel and evolved into a proper presenter. It didn’t happen overnight, but it happened because of this community.

Andy’s Version

When PASS Summit returned to an in-person event in 2022, we saw a lot of new faces joining us in Seattle, as well as a number of familiar faces not being able to make it. This continued in 2023, when I finally had the opportunity to meet Courtney after talking with her on the SQL Community Slack. I think I was walking through the Sheraton with Steve Clement when we happened upon Courtney, and fast friends happened.

The more I hung out with Courtney and got to know her and her style, I started thinking “she’d make an excellent presenter, she just has that energy and presence.” She’d already presented at her local user group, at the prodding of Allen White (who was also a significant factor in my own decision to start speaking). But I felt like she needed a bit more of a push and then she’d be unstoppable.

Friday evening, as I was trying to locate some food before heading to the airport (I don’t recall if I’d gotten past the waitlist for Crab Pot, but if I had that plan went up in smoke), I found myself in the Sheraton lobby bar with Steve and Courtney. We convinced her to get a Bluesky account and even started talking about potential logo images for it. Then we got to talking about her local presentation and Allen’s undeniable influence on ourselves and so many other speakers. I started telling her about New Stars of Data and how it could be a great way for her to gain confidence and broaden her reach.

Just about then, Ben Weissman happened by and would you look at that, we had an empty seat right next to Courtney! We invited him to sit down, he agreed, and he explained how New Stars worked in detail. She didn’t seem too sure at first but somehow we managed to persuade her to sign up (I don’t recall if she signed up on the spot or if it was after she got home). I think Steve enjoyed the show as Ben & I worked on convincing her to do it.

Courtney went on to present at New Stars #7, did really well, and then was selected to speak at PASS Summit - just like we knew she would. Up on stage in Seattle, she was terrific! The following day, she was part of a panel discussion talking about what being involved in the data platform community has done for each member of the panel. Steve and I were in attendance, close enough to be seen by the panel but far enough back that we could melt into the crowd if we wanted to.

But as Ben was introducing the topic before the discussion started, he looked my way, pointed directly at me, and said very flatly but with a huge grin “This is all. Your. Fault.” It was said in the way one does when they mean to say “because of you, this wonderful thing has happened.”

Why was I encouraging Courtney to get more involved with speaking? I was just paying it forward. After SQL Saturday Rochester in 2020, I was barraged by a handful people telling me that I should be submitting for Summit now that I had a couple SQL Saturdays under my belt. I kept saying “nah, I’ll do it next year, I’m not ready” and what I kept getting in response was “just do it, if you get picked you’ll have months to get ready and you’ll be fine.” I missed the deadline that year but I did submit for 2021 and was selected! Today, I’m looking forward to taking the stage for the first time in Seattle (2021 was a virtual event) and I know I’ll have Courtney & Steve right there supporting me.

Steve’s Version

It’s incredible what you can talk someone into over Old Fashioneds and Espresso Martinis.

You ever just meet someone for the first time and their demeanor, their energy is just infectious? Combine that with a real passion for what she does, and a dose of being slightly overwhelmed at everything at her first Summit, and that was how we met Courtney in a nutshell. And not to speak for Andy, but I’m sure he had just as much fun accompanying her around her first Summit as I did. Courtney killed the hallway track that year - it was a lot of fun just saying “hey, you should know that person, " or “this person that just sat down next to you at dinner here is SQL Community Royalty,” and just watch her dive right in.

This all culminated in that fateful Friday evening at the Sheraton bar. The three of us were enjoying some wind-down time over a few beverages, when Ben Weissman wanders by. At this point, Andy and I have spent all week telling Courtney we could see her giving a talk next year, and Ben was the perfect person to help finish setting the hook.

Now, at this point in the story, I do have to share my dirty little secret - you see, I’m not a presenter myself. Oh, I’ve kicked the idea around now and then, but have largely intentionally chosen not to (for reasons that are their own post). And by reputation, there are two things I knew about Ben - he runs New Stars of Data, and he can be relentless when there’s some fresh meat for new speakers.

So with Andy’s help, I immediately go into redirection mode, and we’re both like “Hey Ben, have we got a new speaker for you!” Reign Ben in, she says? HA! We were encouraging him (but really her) with everything we had! And slowly but surely, you could see her objections melt away until she knew that resistance was futile, and basically ended up committing to submitting.

It was obvious to the rest of us what was going to happen here, and so, OF COURSE she crushed it at New Stars. And again for her presentation at Summit 2024. And again during her panel session. And she continues to crush it for her user group and groups around the country. And she continues to pay that forward - I see her time and again encouraging other people to dive in. The “pay it forward” tree that Andy started continues with Courtney and I’m willing to bet that impact is going to be felt across the community for years. I’m just glad I get to come along for the ride!

And like we keep telling her - don’t be surprised if you see her on the big stage at some point in the future.

Finally, if you’re at Summit this year, especially if you’re new, come find us at the bar at the Hyatt. You never know what sort of career changing conversation we might throw you into. 😀

Taylor’s Version

Much to my teen’s chagrin, there’s no version of this story that involves Taylor Swift. Sorry, kiddo.

You Can Present, Too!

There are so many people in this community who have something to share but haven’t yet. Even if you think something’s been covered, you have a different way of talking about it that may make it understandable to someone who previously was struggling. If you reach one person, you have been successful - everything else is gravy. And unlike the terrible experience we all had in school getting up in front of a classroom full of people who weren’t at all interested in being there (borderline hostile), when you’re talking to folks in this community everyone wants to see you succeed and wants to hear what you have to say. It’s actually fun, and a terrific way to build your skills and your career.