Tech Meet Ups in NYC

Originally Posted on LinkedIn - November 2015

New Yorkers love networking.

In my three months in New York City I’ve attended eleven tech meet-ups and I have been amazed by their scope and size. The most recent event I attended saw hundreds of people gather to listen to presentations, network and talk tech with their peers. Having investors, entrepreneurs, clients and candidates all looking towards the same future is excellent for the New York City tech scene.

As NYC continues to gain ground on Silicon Valley as one of the world’s leading technology hubs, establishing common ground between talented professionals and companies is vital to keep the wheels of progress turning. Seeing the latest developments in the marketplace will encourage companies to keep up with - and attempt to get ahead of - their competitors. This, in turn, drives further technical evolution.

Meet-ups are also great for people to discuss side projects. Many technology workers have dual lives these days - a day job to pay the bills and then a personal project completed in their spare time that they hope to secure funding for and release or sell. These meet-ups offer a chance to hook up with potential investors or like-minded individuals who may be interested in collaboration.

There are smaller events taking place regularly in the City which cater for niche audiences within very specific sectors of the market. A NoSQL meet-up I recently went to drew around 200 attendees and a React.JS specific session had 50.

Given the contacts I've made through these meet-ups, I've become a huge supporter of such events and encourage anybody in the area to attend at least one relevant to their skillset to give it a go. You never know who you might meet, what you might learn or how they might be able to help your career. If nothing else, seeing just how much talent and enthusiasm there is in New York tech scene right now is hugely motivating!