The Current Invitation

The current invitation (July 2025) is for T-SQL Tuesday #188. The next invitation should be released on August 5.

Invitation from John Sterrett

ProcureSQL wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for being involved in the community. Straight out of college, Dolph Santorine dragged me along to the local AITP monthly meetings in Wheeling, WV. This led me to start a SQL Server user group in Wheeling and host SQL Saturday events in both Wheeling and Austin. During SQL Saturday Austin in May, I had a great conversation with Steve about our thoughts on the state of the SQL community post-COVID. We both noticed that the average speaker age wasn’t getting any younger. This leads me to ask this month’s question.

What are you doing, or what can we do to encourage younger people to get involved in the SQL community while increasing the number of younger speakers?

Anything is fair game. For example, here were some things I was thinking:

  • Involving the local colleges in event planning for SQL Saturdays
  • Bringing interns and younger co-workers to user group meetings
  • Hosting lightning talks where speakers only talk about one thing for five to ten minutes.
  • Mentoring a speaker through building and delivering their first presentation
  • Allowing a new speaker to co-present with you
  • Doing a one-on-one review, giving a critique on how they can improve their session
  • Create a budget for your young speakers to speak at events
  • Hosting a track or event, only allowing new speakers the opportunity to present and share their knowledge
  • Making sure new local speakers can speak at your event, if that means saying no to MVPs, and Microsoft Employees

You Never Will Know the Impact You Will Generate

As the host this month, I will go first. I want to share two brief stories about helping new speakers and the impact it had on them.

My first big presentation was at SQL Saturday DC, many years ago. If you are familiar with Amateur Night at the Apollo, I would have given myself the hook.

It might have been my last presentation if it weren’t for Allen White taking the time to sit with me one-on-one after my session and go through the things I did well and the areas where I could improve, ensuring my presentation was better the next time I gave it. ProcureSQL would most likely never have existed without Allen taking the time to help make me a better speaker. It’s fantastic to look back at how fifteen minutes had such a significant impact on my career. I would have never spoken at PASS Summit or become a Data Platform MVP. I definitely wouldn’t have been focused on helping new speakers as well.

Later on, I worked at RDX for Kon Melamud. One of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met. He had never given a community session before, even though he worked down the street from the Pittsburgh SQL User Group meeting location. One month, I was the speaker, and I talked him into going with me and standing next to me as I gave the presentation. I told him I will do the presentation. When I am done with a section, I will ask him to share his thoughts and experience working with over 100 different customers. He was extremely nervous, and this was the perfect way to introduce him to the community. This got him started and even encouraged him, over time, to establish a budget and allow others at RDX to speak at community events. Today, Kon is the CTO at ProcureSQL, but more importantly, my best friend. Our relationship wouldn’t have grown without our involvement in the community together.