Community Resources
Conferences, Meetups, Forums, and Networking
Overview
Building a strong network and staying connected with the data engineering community accelerates learning and career growth. This document covers conferences, meetups, online communities, and networking strategies.
Conferences
Top Data Engineering Conferences
General Data Engineering
| Conference | Focus | When | Where | Cost | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Council | Data engineering | Spring | Various | $500-1500 | 500-1000 |
| Strata Data | Data + AI | Spring/Fall | Various | $1000-2000 | 2000-3000 |
| Data Team Summit | Data leadership | Fall | Virtual | $500-1000 | 1000-2000 |
| Coalesce | dbt conference | Fall | Various | $1000-1500 | 1000-1500 |
Technology Specific
| Conference | Technology | When | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spark Summit | Apache Spark | Annual | Various | $800-1500 |
| Current | Apache Kafka | Annual | Various | $1000-1800 |
| Flink Forward | Apache Flink | Annual | Various | $800-1200 |
| Airflow Summit | Apache Airflow | Annual | Virtual | Free-500 |
| Trino Fest | Trino | Annual | Virtual | Free |
Cloud Provider Conferences
| Conference | Provider | When | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| re:Invent | AWS | December | Las Vegas | $1500-2000 |
| Next | Google Cloud | Fall | Various | $1000-1500 |
| Build | Microsoft | Spring | Seattle | $1500-2000 |
| Data + AI Summit | Databricks | Spring/Fall | Various | $1000-1500 |
| Snowflake Summit | Snowflake | Summer | Various | $1000-1500 |
Meetups
Finding Local Meetups
Popular Meetup Topics
| Topic | Typical Format | Frequency | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Engineering | Talks + networking | Monthly | High |
| Apache Kafka | Presentations | Monthly | High |
| Apache Spark | Presentations + workshops | Monthly | Medium |
| dbt | User group | Quarterly | High |
| MLOps | Presentations | Monthly | Medium |
| Cloud Native | Talks | Monthly | Medium |
Starting a Meetup
Why Start One?
- Build local community
- Practice speaking
- Leadership visibility
- Recruit for your company
Steps to Start:
- Choose topic (specific > general)
- Create Meetup.com group
- Find venue (company sponsorship)
- Recruit speakers (start with yourself)
- Promote (LinkedIn, Slack, Reddit)
- Be consistent (same day/time)
Online Communities
Reddit Communities
| Subreddit | Members | Focus | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| r/dataengineering | 200K+ | General DE | High |
| r/apachekafka | 50K+ | Kafka | High |
| r/apachespark | 40K+ | Spark | Medium |
| r/MLOps | 80K+ | ML Ops | High |
| r/learnmachinelearning | 500K+ | ML | Medium |
Discord Servers
| Server | Focus | How to Join |
|---|---|---|
| Data Engineering | General DE | Discord discovery |
| dbt | dbt transformation | dbt Labs website |
| MLOps | ML Operations | MLOps.community |
| Trending | Data + AI | Various blogs |
Slack Communities
| Community | Focus | How to Join |
|---|---|---|
| dbt Community | dbt | dbt Labs website |
| Flink Apache | Flink | Flink website |
| Prefect Community | Prefect | Prefect website |
| Airflow | Apache Airflow | Apache website |
| Data Council | General DE | Data Council website |
Social Media
Twitter/X Accounts to Follow
Thought Leaders:
- Martin Kleppmann (@martinkleppmann)
- Zhamak Dehghani (@zhamakdehghani)
- Maxime Beauchemin (@maximebeauchemin)
- Julia Evans (@b0rk)
- Kelsey Hightower (@kelseyhightower)
Company Accounts:
- Databricks (@databricks)
- Confluent (@confluent)
- dbt Labs (@dbtlabs)
- Snowflake (@snowflake)
- Apache Kafka (@apachekafka)
Journalists:
- Jared Zwick (@jzwick)
- Klint Finley (@klintfinley)
- Derrick Harris (@derrickharris)
LinkedIn Strategy
Who to Follow:
- Data engineering leaders
- VP Engineering at target companies
- Principal/Staff engineers
- Recruiting contacts
What to Post:
- Project updates
- Conference takeaways
- Book/article summaries
- Job announcements
Engagement Strategy:
- Comment thoughtfully on posts
- Share your own content
- Participate in discussions
- Reach out for coffee chats
Speaking and Writing
Conference Speaking
Speaking Progression:
- Meetup talks (low stakes, local)
- Lightning talks (conferences, 5-10 min)
- Conference talks (CFP process)
- Keynote (invited, established)
CFP Tips:
- Start with meetups (build confidence)
- Submit multiple conferences
- Unique angle > generic topic
- Include detailed outline
- Share recording if available
Writing
Platforms:
- Medium (easy start)
- Substack (newsletter)
- Dev.to (developer focused)
- Personal blog (own domain)
- LinkedIn (professional audience)
Writing Topics:
- Project tutorials
- Conference takeaways
- Book reviews
- Opinion pieces
- How-to guides
Writing Strategy:
- Start with project writeups
- Aim for 1-2 posts/month
- Share on social media
- Engage with comments
- Cross-post to multiple platforms
Networking Strategies
Informational Interviews
How to Request:
Hi [Name],
I'm a data engineer interested in [topic].I saw your work on [project/article] and found it insightful.
Would you be open to a 20-minute coffee chatto ask about your experience with [topic]?
I know you're busy, so no worries if not.Best, [Your name]Good Questions to Ask:
- What skills are most valuable for [role]?
- What’s your typical day like?
- What do you wish you knew earlier?
- What trends are you watching?
- How do you stay current?
Mentorship
Finding Mentors:
- Senior engineers at your company
- Conference speakers
- Open source maintainers
- LinkedIn connections
- Alumni network
Mentorship Structure:
- Monthly meetings (30-60 min)
- Goal-oriented (specific skills)
- Time-bound (3-6 months)
- Mutual commitment
- Clear expectations
Job Boards
Data Engineering Jobs
| Board | Focus | Level |
|---|---|---|
| DataEngineeringJobs.com | General DE | All |
| Data Jobs | General data | All |
| LinkedIn Jobs | General | All |
| Wellfound | Startups | All |
| Y Combinator | Startups | All |
| Angelist | Startups | All |
Company Career Pages
Top DE Employers:
- Netflix
- Stripe
- Airbnb
- Uber
- Lyft
- Doordash
- Instacart
- Snowflake
- Databricks
- Confluent
Staying Connected
Weekly Routine
| Day | Activity | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Review Twitter/LinkedIn | 15 min |
| Tuesday | Read newsletters | 30 min |
| Wednesday | Attend meetup/watch talk | 60 min |
| Thursday | Engage with community | 30 min |
| Friday | Plan next week’s learning | 15 min |
Quarterly Goals
| Quarter | Goal |
|---|---|
| Q1 | Attend 1 meetup/month |
| Q2 | Give 1 meetup talk |
| Q3 | Submit 2 conference CFPs |
| Q4 | Write 4 blog posts |
Community Etiquette
Best Practices
- Give before you take: Contribute before asking for help
- Be respectful: Disagree agreeably
- Credit sources: Attribute ideas properly
- Help others: Answer questions, share knowledge
- Be inclusive: Welcome diverse perspectives
- Follow community guidelines: Each community has norms
Red Flags
- Self-promotion without contribution
- Taking without giving back
- Being disrespectful or dismissive
- Not acknowledging help received
- Gatekeeping knowledge
Key Takeaways
- Attend conferences: 1-2 per year for networking
- Join local meetups: Build in-person connections
- Participate online: Reddit, Discord, Slack
- Speak and write: Share your knowledge
- Informational interviews: Learn from others
- Give back: Mentor, answer questions, contribute
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