Break Points
ESC: Time or Money?
Jack Ganssle
11/23/2009 3:36 PM EST
The ESC is a valuable asset for any embedded engineer who wishes to take classes or meet vendors to learn about new products that can aid development. But I do get a lot of email from readers and conference attendees asking about various content and business aspects of the event.
Recently a couple of laid-off engineers complained that they wanted to attend the latest Boston event but just couldn't justify the cost. Cost? If you're local, other than a ride on the T or driving and parking, it's free.
The ESC has many components; so many even I lose track. There are the tear downs, the show floor theater, the vendor sessions, and more. But unlike Gaul, the event can be divided into just two parts: the so-called "Conference" and the "Expo."
The Conference - presented papers and classes - consists of a set of talks, and carries a hefty price tag. The Expo includes the show floor, which is open to the public at no charge. That includes the vendor booths, which are hugely important to practicing engineers. As the pressure to do more faster increases we need to know what sort of resources are available to help us meet our goals.
The show floor includes the ESC Theater, where tear downs and some talks " are held free, Off the show floor, but included with the free pass, are the vendor sessions. Yeah, vendors pitch products. And I've been to a couple of these sessions which were dreadful. But most vendor sessions seem to be packed full of useful information and are a valuable - and free - asset.
The Shop Talks are moderated discussions - also free - that cover a number of subjects, and are the source of most of the emails complaining about the cost of attending the ESC. I ran one in Boston about the recession's impact on our careers which was attended by about 100 engineers.
But one wonders about the future of real-life events like the ESC. Will they be replaced by virtual events? I'm told some virtual events held by the same folks who run the ESC have been very successful. But the number of attendees to these cyber-shows pales compared to those at the bricks-and-mortar conference, so either the wags are wrong, or the future isn't quite here yet.
The most recent ESC showed an uptick to the number of attendees to the free Expo event, and a bit of a decline to the paid Conference sessions. Why? The Conference sessions spans 4 to 5 days. Is it too long? (Though there are options to attend a subset of the event). A week is a lot of time; is it no longer possible to leave the office for a week? How about for a day?
Or is it the cost? Money is in awfully short supply today. Are companies no longer willing, or maybe unable, to invest in their people?
What's your take? Why are you willing, or not, to attend events like the ESC?
Jack G. Ganssle is a lecturer and consultant on embedded development issues. He conducts seminars on embedded systems and helps companies with their embedded challenges. Contact him at jack@ganssle.com. His website is www.ganssle.com.
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krwada
11/23/2009 6:25 PM EST
I can only speak for myself. My busy schedule means that I can ONLY spend one day at ESC. Usually, I spend ONLY one 1/2 day at the ESC in San Jose. Usually, it is on Wednesday afternoon.
The things that virtual cannot do, which I really like:
1. Meet real people face-2-face
2. Browse, and let serendipity rule
3. Bump into folks ... like Jack Ganssle!
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JackGanssle
11/24/2009 8:27 AM EST
Well, Ken, let's make that happen in April!
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N9BDF
11/25/2009 8:22 AM EST
I'm willing to take the time to attend events like ESC when my employer is willing to finance it. Thankfully, my current employer supports both the time and financial aspects of this. In fact, I attended ESC Boston this year (a significant cost for my employer when you consider that I live in the Chicago area) and was in your Shop Talk session on the recession's affects on one's career.
I'm glad to see that ESC is RETURNING to Chicago (after years of neglect!). It will make it much more time and cost effective for those of us in this area to attend ESC.
-Michael
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PWong
11/25/2009 2:32 PM EST
Good to hear ESC Chicago is back. That's where I used to go the most.
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AndySyms
11/26/2009 4:33 AM EST
I was recently at the first UK ESC (we've only had an exhibition previously). Great conference with superb speakers such as yourself, Dan Saks and many others. Very convenient for me as my office is only 10 miles from the excellent venue, FIVE. The cost? Only 295GBP for the full three days (super early bird discount) so a total no-brainer and I'm a one man company. Can't wait for next year's event!
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DaveArmour
11/26/2009 2:04 PM EST
I LOVE the ESC! I go every chance I can get. I like the classes the most, the expo is great bonus. That said, costs are the main reason I don't go every year. When I was working my employer would pay for me to go. It used to cost about $5000 to go to the San Jose ESC from here in Seattle. Now that I am unemployed that is alot of money.
Is there some work I can do at the ESC to get the costs down so I can afford to drive and maybe sleep in my car. Nothing like the disheveled look to impress people.
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K1200LT Rider
11/30/2009 11:29 AM EST
Sure wish I could see it someday. My company won't pay for ANYTHING I have asked to do (such as trade shows, Netrino's Embedded Software Bootcamp, etc.). The only thing I know they will pay for is tuition for standard, local college classes. And even then you have to forecast it the year before. Basically, I'm on my own to learn whatever I can. It's very disappointing. For my own future, I don't dare say what my company is (as much as I'd love to). But I will say it is a large company with some large military-related contracts, so I would think they could afford helping to appropriately educate their own engineers. Oh well... back to the grindstone.
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DSeghieri
11/30/2009 1:02 PM EST
Hi,
We are working on a program with UC Santa Cruz this year, you will receive CEU's through the UCSC for taking ESC SV classes, you would register for this over the UCSC program. Would this help you attend? If so, I will send you the info when it's finalized.
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