By Heather Wilcox
Heather Wilcox is a loyal member of the PNSQC volunteer corps who regularly submits proposals to present at the annual conference. We asked her to explain why she chooses to get involved in the program. Here’s what she had to say.
In 2014 I had (I thought) a good idea for a paper and presentation for PNSQC. It was the first time that I’d had an idea that I believed was worthy of publication. I wrote down my ideas, crafted them into an abstract, submitted the work, then crossed my fingers and waited.
It turns out that I wasn’t the only one who thought my idea was a decent one. My abstract was accepted and I began work on my paper. I was paired with two fabulous editors who helped me every step of the way, including some much-needed education that I was lacking in Agile and Scrum.
The final result was something that I was very proud to have my name on and also very excited to present at the conference.
Imagine my shock when my presentation turned out to be SRO! Every seat had a body in it. Holy Cow!
Heather Wilcox with Willow, a wild donkey in training.
I was so excited that I blazed through all my slides in 20 minutes! But I then spent the next 25 minutes answering questions and having a great conversation with the folks that came to my talk. It was a great experience and I was totally inspired by the interaction.
At the end of my allotted time, several recruiters and managers approached me and offered their cards along with invitations for further contact, should I feel inclined to follow up.
It was a great day and a great experience! I really did make lasting friends and contacts who I still consult with today. It was totally worth the time and effort.
So now, every year, as I move through my work, I think about what I’d like to learn about. What questions I am struggling to answer. What might my colleagues be interested and curious to hear about? And then I put together an abstract and I hope it gets accepted. Last year, I got a paper published. This year, I really want to get to present again. We will see what happens, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.
