Here’s an idea about how to create your own good fortune and expand your software testing knowledge. Attend CAST 2007. CAST is the Conference for the Association for Software Testing.
We’ve lined up a great program – ok, so I’m program co-chair with Rob Sabourin so I might be biased about the program. But come and find your own good fortune – exchange ideas, listen, learn, trade, share. Seek conversations with different people – the opportunity will be there. I would suspect CAST 2007 will have all the intensity of some of the best workshops in our field. And while we have a fantastic line-up of speakers, CAST is different from other conferences because we will rearrange and shift the program to follow the energy that comes from attendees and speakers. What does that mean?
If a presentation has tremendous interest and the questions and conversation generated are running at fever pitch, we’ll adjust the schedule to accommodate the topic and speaker to keep going. We’ll shift the schedule; we’ll find another room if needed, we’ll do whatever we can to enable that conversation and that energy to go on. CAST is about conferring – it’s not about a perfect schedule.
So here’s the hitch in my own personal opinion – if you come and you come with a coworker and walk about in lock step with each other and don’ t separate and meet new people than you might as well skip the conference. You have to reach out and meet people. You have to share. And when you open the door to share, you will find your own good fortune.