After attending my first conference, JSM 2017, I would like to share some of my thoughts regarding what I learned going to conferences is about, what I wish I knew, and what to do moving forward. Let’s get started!
What JSM( or conferences overall) are about
JSM was about sharing new knowledge and connecting with old colleagues (and making new ones along the way). JSM had a lot of opportunities to attend interesting sessions where I could learn more about a subject or have a quick refresher course. Even big names in the field come and share their thoughts. I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Robert Tibshirani talk about Statistical Learning.
But that’s only a small part of JSM. The other major part is connecting with others. I made several connections, some new friends and some new potential contacts. This is important aspect of JSM, since it’s good to remind ourselves as academics and working professionals that a huge part of any profession, or life for that matter, is the human element. Sometimes that means skipping out on a lecture to (re)connect with another – even if you don’t talk about statistics, but I’m sure the probability is high that you will! :]
What I Wish I Knew
What I wasn’t completely aware of was the job opportunities at JSM. There were a lot of interesting companies (i.e. – Facebook, Amazon, SAS, etc..) and government agencies (i.e. – Census, FDA, etc..) at JSM conducting interviews and having booths where you could talk to employees about their respective organization. It was similar to a Career Fair at a university, but a lot smaller. The lines to talk to employers was basically nonexistent, it was less overwhelming, and there was a focus to for the opportunities. At a typical career fair, some companies may not be hiring in your area. But when the company is at a conference for your field, you can be certain, that they will be looking for people just like you! Sometimes, you can even talk to employees who do a very similar job to what you could potentially be hired for.
What to do moving Forward
At future JSM’s, I want to be more involved – and I recommend you do the same! When you are involved, it makes learning and meeting people so much easier. I did chair a session and present a poster (and did help), but I hope to continue to do things like this – but even more. I hope to get even further involved by doing an oral presentation.
If you can, try to reach out to a section that you think is interesting (public health, education, imaging, risk, etc..) and get involved. For instance, reach out to the head section office and ask how you can help. A lot of times, they need volunteers to chair sessions.
Also, I want to find a balance between doing things and relaxing. Next JSM, I’ll try to do more activities to explore the city where the conference is located but also find time to recoup. Talking to lots of new people and learning many new things can be exhausting. Finding time to step away from it all can help helpful to recharge and get back into the fun!
If you have any other suggestions or comments about how to get the most out of JSM (or any conference for that matter), please feel free to start a conversation with me via Twitter.
