I was recently asked this.
I’m going to go with yes. Not in the sense that you’ll make a bunch of money doing it (you won’t), or that you’ll rise to dev stardom and thus tangentially make a bunch of money (you won’t). But in the sense that in order to speak, there are all these things involved:
You’ll need some confidence.
You’ll need to know your material well enough to convey it.
You’ll need to use some tools you probably don’t use very often.
You’ll need to go to the event, involving you in the community.
That list could go on and on. Every one of those things is just good for your life, as well as being part of speaking. So speaking is just good for your life.
To a point, anyway. Nearly every single speaker in this industry I’ve ever known struggles with the correct balance of speaking. Too much, and the return on investment in any regard clearly isn’t there. Too little, and why do it at all?
I agree! Not only speaking at industry or trade (developer) events and conferences, but if you’re a developer at a company with a larger team (say, a User Experience or a Business team) it helps tremendously.
It’s the case in most places: exposure gets you going in your career. The developers who are well known amongst their partners and peers are the ones who further their careers. There are few better ways to do that than to present your work.
It doesn’t hurt to be able to explain a complex and technical subject to an audience who may not have the same vocabulary or understanding that you or your fellow developers have. That balance of technical speak and length of presentation are things that come with practice. Your workplace is a perfect place to get that practice.
That is actually a great topic. I would love to do some talking and presentations, I feel confident about my skills/knowledge. However, I am just really young (23 and even though I work in great digital agency with world-wide brands), I guess people dont take me seriously, unless I have some famous project or product made entirely by me.
Better tell us how to get in this ‘reliable’ source (person) who people would want to listen.
PS. big fan or your work and dedication to web projects. Keep up the good work!
Speaking really couldn’t hurt your career, unless something went horribly wrong with the presentation, so I would think speaking should always be considered. It helps establish you as an SME, and if nothing else helps polish your public speaking skills, which is never a bad thing.