I was so excited to come to Brighton on March 12th 2026 to attend Web Day Out. It's been a long time since I regularly attended conferences. Since COVID, I've attended two, the other being Beyond Tellerand. Both of them run by very good people, both with very good speakers and attendees.
Before COVID, in the early days of my web career, I was fortunate to take part in a lot of conferences—whether attending, volunteering, speaking or representing codebar. Being part of the web community in this way was pivotal in my career as a web developer. It's a special experience—being in a room and in face-to-face discussion with other web nerds.
Having a chance to swap ideas, discuss web news, meet new people, or simply take in the inspiring atmosphere is just a snippet of what makes a conference (or a meetup) worth your money and/or time. Events like these take you out of your regular flow, usually to a place you don't normally visit. They provide a chance to discover new places, get a better idea of the web world (whether it's a new CSS feature or the state of the job market), and to top up your enthusiasm for working as a developer.
Let's talk about connections. I mentioned earlier that attending conferences was pivotal for me in my web developer career. Here are the things that helped me make (and keep) connections and how they helped me find success:
- Developers tend to be incredibly nice people who are more than happy to give advice. As a profession that doesn't always require a formal degree, developers (particularly self-taught ones) understand that the advice they can give, based on their own experiences, can be extremely helpful to others. I never had to feel nervous or shy about asking other developers questions.
- I have never felt the presence of a "hierarchy" among fellow developers. It's rare that anyone puts themself onto a pedestal. It feels like developers all understand what it takes to become and remain a developer. There is an inherent aura of respect and support, and a desire to swap stories and advice.
- Experienced developers can help newcomers, that seems obvious. But newcomers also help out those who are more experienced. For evidence of this, look to a meetup like codebar. Experienced developers volunteer to coach more junior developers. Why do these coaches give up their time? Ask them and you might get a lot of different answers. One that I have felt myself is that that coaches give knowledge, but newcomers bring enthusiasm and new ideas that a coach who is more stuck in their ways may not have considered. Win win!
- In my experience, the people I meet in the development and design world are more than happy to remain connected over the years. At conferences, I chat with people that I haven't seen for years, and it's always like meeting up with close friends. So many connections became and remain my greatest cheerleaders, and that's really special.
In a nutshell—the kindness and support of the community helps lift me up, boost my confidence, and keep me motivated. Through my connections, I was able to prove my enthusiasm and abilities to members of the community, which resulted in job opportunities that would not have been available to me otherwise.
The web community lifts you up when you need it, celebrates your wins, and wants you to succeed.
A speaker at Web Day Out told me that years ago there were a huge number of meetups and conferences. It was easy to find speakers, sponsors, and venues. These days, it's harder. Therefore, it's harder to keep community events alive and there are less chances to bring community together. That's why it's a great idea to support people running conferences and meetups.
Buy your event tickets early and help organisers spread the word. Keeping the web community alive is something that benefits everyone ♥️