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Why You Should Attend Conferences
Updated 19 November 2009
This article has also been published in the ELT Times.
Going to conferences, whether they're huge large yearly gatherings or smaller training sessions, are a great way to network and fine-tune your skills.
Most professional associations and businesses have some type of conference that they hold once a year. Try to attend a couple in your field, you'll be surprised at the benefits. Not only will attending training sessions allow you to put this on your CV and make you more marketable to employers, but you'll find that taking a weekend to go to a training sessions will allow you to reap many rewards.
You'll learn the latest information about your career, whether it's a new computer system, teaching method or even a product that can save you time at work, you'll be hard pressed not to learn something. But learning new skills isn't the only thing that you can do at a training session.
As we all know, networking gets you the good cushy jobs. By going to training sessions, you can rub shoulders with the right people, get some business cards, and if you're lucky you can even get a job offer. Mingling at these types of events will help you learn which places are hiring and which places you should stay away from. You'll also find that if you attend a couple training sessions, you'll see the same faces, and may even get the chance to grab a coffee with one of them.
Getting discounts is another reason to attend these types of events. There are often book fairs and other product fairs where they sales items at discounted prices for those who attend. Raffles might be held and this is another chance to score some freebies.
So even though it may be hard to get out of bed early on the weekend to go to a training session, it's worth it. You'll learn new skills, network, meet new friends, and get discounts. Next time there's a training session in your field, give it a go.
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