I wanted to know how people first got involved with ODTUG so I sent out an email to some of my fellow ODTUGgers. Due to the sheer volume of responses I'll be posting multiple blogs to share their experience with you. Today's post highlights John Flack, Scot Martin, and Tim St. Hilaire.
When I first started using Oracle products, our Oracle salesman let us know about our local Oracle Users Group, then known as the Mid-Atlantic Oracle Users Group. I started attending MAOUG conferences, and when a DBA SIG was formed, well-known author and speaker Marlene Theriault agreed to chair it and I agreed to be the recording secretary. Marlene and I became pretty good friends. Besides attending MAOUG events, we started going to an annual conference called East Coast Oracle (ECO), which happened to be run by Your Conference Connection (YCC). At one ECO, Marlene said to me, "You know, YCC also does a conference for the Oracle CASE SIG. It is really good. You should go." We had just started using Oracle Designer 2000, and I noticed that the best presentations on that tool were at that conference. The CASE SIG expanded its scope to cover all Oracle tools, not just Designer, and became ODTUG. Finally, in 2002, I had a paper accepted for ODTUG, and attended my first conference in Las Vegas. It was my first time in Vegas, and both personally and professionally, I had a great time. I HAD to go to next year's conference. I did, and have been going ever since.
~ John Flack, Synectics for Management Decisions
My name is Scot Martin, and I am a villager. Also, an ODTUG member. I first got involved with ODTUG about five years ago. I'd gotten a new job and one of the perks was being able to attend Hyperion conferences. Checking the pulse, it sounds like Kaleidoscope in New Orleans (that year) was now the place to go for good technical Hyperion content. That turned out to be a great decision. Not only did I get some amazing technical info, but I met a great group of people. I've made it back to this ODTUG sponsored event each year since with no regrets!
~ Scot Martin
I was first invited to attend an ODTUG Kscope conference as an attendee by a colleague. I truly enjoyed the venue and the individuals who were attending. But more than that, it was the technical content I relished. After seeing the variety and hearing the stories that were shared, I wanted to share my story. I have since challenged myself to develop compelling and informative technical sessions to share with other members of ODTUG. Being part of the ODTUG organization has given me confidence in my career and helped me build a supportive network of professionals.
~ Tim St. Hilaire, BAE Systems
