Re: Abstract accepted for IOUG...company has no/little money to send me?!??!?!?!

From: Dan Norris <dannorris_at_dannorris.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:48:07 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <271477.27500.qm@web35402.mail.mud.yahoo.com>


Hi Chris,

I'll start by admitting that I've always worked at consulting companies who are much more interested in projecting the image of employing smart "experts" and therefore have more to gain by capitalizing on the marketing opportunity of putting their logo on a screen in a session.

However, in most large organizations, there's usually some way to get around challenges like this one. Here are some of the observations I've gathered from some of the DBAs I've worked with:

1. Often there's some training offered for employees at least once per year--this could count as your training. 
2. Other times, one of your employee objectives (usually established through a manager's review process) may be to write a whitepaper and present it at a conference--obviously this would apply there (but you'd have to had made this one of your objectives for this one to apply.
3. Some DBAs (that have good managers and a good relationship with their manager) can convince their manager that this is an opportunity to advance on their career path. Large companies more often have good management guidelines and career advancement paths for their staff (at least more often than smaller firms), so sometimes that can offer a path that may help your chances to go to the conference.
4. The speaker could offer to present their own session internally (which is good for rehearsal anyway) and then, when returning from the conference, promise to present a summary of the technical things they learned at the conference. I've had my managers tell me that this is the reason I was allowed to go to conferences more than my peers--I brought information back AND distributed it to my peers, so everyone benefited from me attending the conference. My peers weren't as good at doing this. As a bonus, you could also gather suggestions for what sessions to attend from your group/team if you're the only one that's going to attend the conference. 

I hope to see you there! I'm not sure how many of the points above will apply or work for you given the relatively less-technical session you're presenting. I think that offering to present your view of the conference sessions when you return might be an effective way to increase your chances of getting to the conference and staying for the whole week.

Good luck!
Dan

  • Original Message ---- From: "Grabowy, Chris" <chris.grabowy_at_lmco.com> To: Oracle List <oracle-l_at_freelists.org> Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 7:45:04 AM Subject: Abstract accepted for IOUG...company has no/little money to send me?!??!?!?!

So I got the word from IOUG that my abstract has been accepted. Hurray!!

I forwarded that acceptance email to my manager asking for some travel money, and state the obvious that I won't need any money to pay for the conference fee.

I eventually get a response back from his manager that the overhead money is tight...maybe we can send you for a day or two...??!?!?!??!?! Overhead money is tight? Isn't it January?

So that was yesterday, and today I have calmed down a bit. And I was wondering if other folks have encountered this problem? Wondering if this is common? I have always assumed that if you get accepted to present then your company "stepped up" and sent you. I guess I am wrong?

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http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l Received on Wed Jan 16 2008 - 08:48:07 CST

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