Here’s your daily reminder that large language models don’t actually “understand” the world — at least not in the same way that we do. They’re stochastic parrots.
There used to be an unwritten, implicitly-understood rule that you should never mention that you were laid off, but treat it like a dirty secret. That may have been good advice for the previous century, when layoffs were viewed as rare events where low performers were fired all at once, but it’s woefully out of date now.
If you think there’s a stigma attached to being laid off or are feeling shame for having been laid off, this article is for you! Here are five reasons why there’s no stigma nor shame in being laid off.
Reason 1: Big Tech overhired
The theme of the past few years has been “growth, growth, growth,” which was driven by:
- An amazing bull run in the market that followed the financial crisis of 2007-8,
- the end of the Zero Interest Rate Period of 2009 – 2022, where the central banks of G7 countries were lending money at rates so low they were practically zero, and
- the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown.
These market conditions made it possible for a lot of tech companies to hire like crazy — especially the big players:
The problem came when those conditions changed. We now have:
- Higher interest rates,
- inflation (especially with food and housing), and
- some analysts predicting a recession,
all of which are leading people and corporations to spend less. Suddenly, the people from those big hiring sprees became big liabilities.
One of the solutions to this problem is laying people off, and the tech industry’s been doing this with gusto — in the US alone, they laid off a quarter million in 2023, and 40,000 in just the first two months of 2024.
When laying off this many people, it’s not enough to simply cut the lowest performers in your ranks. You also have to get rid of your pricier employees, which means a lot of good performers and even people I consider to be superstars in their domain have been laid off. I’ve lost count of the number of times in the past few months I’ve said “No! Not you!” when surprised by an exemplary person in the tech industry announcing on LinkedIn that they were looking for work.
Remember, even this person, after working hard, showing extreme dedication to the job, and telling the world about that extreme dedication, got laid off:
Reason 2: The market is rewarding companies that do big layoffs
Tap to read the article.
In the previous century, companies did layoffs when they were unprofitable. But these days, companies laying people off are showing profits in their quarterly reports, and investors are rewarding them for it.
The reason this is happening is that layoffs are now a form of corporate virtue signaling. They say “See? We’re cutting costs! We’re increasing efficiency!” And as a result, those company’s share prices are going up. For example, Meta’s stock price has nearly tripled, Spotify’s is up by 30%, and even my former employer’s share price is up $20 since the beginning of the week (good thing I exercised those options!).
Now if you were a company and your investors rewarded you for doing something, would you do more of it for as long as you could? Of course you would.
Reason 3: Vanilla CEOs following “Space Karen’s” lead
When Elon Musk took over Twitter/X, he instituted mass dismissals in a spectacular and clown show-like way, including the infamous choice he presented to his employees:
- Stay and be “hardcore,” committing to long hours at high intensity, where “only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade,” or
- Leave and take three months’ salary.
You might recall how I posed this choice:
Even with a drastic reduction in personnel and egomaniacal mandates given to the remaining staff, Twitter/X still works. It’s a Nazi-plagued hellsite, but it does work, and in late-stage capitalism, the bottom line is all that matters.
As a result, a number of tech company leaders, many of whom are “Vanilla CEOs,” saw Musk’s move and were inspired to do the same.
Don’t believe me? See these articles:
- 89% of Firms Say Elon Musk Inspired Them To Try Layoff Alternative
- Elon Musk says other tech companies should lay off employees like he did at Twitter
- Big Tech Companies Are Testing How Far They Can Slash Staff
Vanilla CEOs tend to look at what other CEOs are doing, and follow suit. This is driving a lot of layoffs.
Thanks a lot, Space Karen. You are my alma mater’s worst alumnus.
ℹ️ Wondering what a “Vanilla CEO” is? Watch this video.
Reason 4: A.I.
There’s also the temptation of “employees” that you don’t have to pay…
In a recent episode of his No Mercy/No Malice audio series, business professor Scott Galloway describes AI as “Corporate Ozempic” — as in the hot new weight loss drug that works by supressing cravings. Like Ozempic, you’re adopting AI to “trim the fat,” but you’re also doing it in secret.
Galloway writes:
CEOs are being coy about this, at least in public, because there’s a sense of fear surrounding the brave new world of AI. The illusionist’s trick in the Valley right now is getting the media to look over there (trimming fat) while they’re stuffing the rabbit into the hat here (replacing it with AI). In the next several quarters, however, I believe CEOs will come out in earnings calls and put it bluntly: “We’re going to be a smaller company that does more business thanks to AI.” Pundits will clutch their pearls for a hot minute until the stock explodes, and the secret hiding in plain sight will be visible to everyone. It’s corporate Ozempic. It’s not about less bread, but less craving for bread. Read: hiring people.
Reason 5: You’ll blend in
With a quarter-million U.S. techies laid off since the start of 2023 — Yours Truly included — if you’re laid off, you’re not an outlier or a freak. You’re just one of many.
There is no stigma nor shame in being laid off
As I wrote in an earlier post in this series, Unearned consequences, “If you’re in a layoff-induced moment of despair, remember that you’re probably facing the consequences of someone else’s mistakes.”
Or, as I also wrote in the same article:
The decision-makers at companies making these layoffs sound like Lord Farquaad from Shrek: “Some of you may die, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
Remember this as you go about your job search — there is no stigma nor shame in your being laid off. Just say that you’re part of the ongoing layoff trend.
Coming up next
Job search tips and tricks!
Also in this series…
- Laid off in 2024, part 1: The 15 worst minutes of 2024, followed by 15 more
- Laid off in 2024, part 2: First referrals and blue dragons
- Laid off in 2024, part 3: How are you doing?
- Laid off in 2024, part 4: Make the Year of the Blue Dragon YOUR year!
- Laid off in 2024, part 5: The next two weeks
- Laid off in 2024, part 6: The separation agreement / Money, money, money
- Laid off in 2024, part 7: Join me on “Surviving a Layoff” this Wednesday!
- Laid off in 2024, part 8: Step one — get a box…
- Laid off in 2024, part 9: The box came back, the very next day…
- Laid off in 2024, part 10: Unearned consequences
- Laid off in 2024, part 11: The dreaded non-disparagement clause
- Laid off in 2024, part 12: Lessons from “The Martian” and other notes
- Laid off in 2024, part 13: One day, in retrospect, you’ll remember this time as beautiful
Here’s the “official unofficial” list of tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events for Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for Monday, March 4 through Sunday, March 10, 2024.
This week’s events
- Monday, March 4
- Tuesday, March 5
- Wednesday, March 6
- Thursday, March 7
- Friday, March 8
- Saturday, March 9
- Sunday, March 10
Monday, March 4
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| In person at Fords Garage St Pete | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:00AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Networking at Ford’s Garage | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:00AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Downtown St Pete Business Professionals Lunch | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:00AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Start the Week with more connections MONDAYS at Romi’s Tacos All Welcome! | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:30AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Networking at Romi’s Tacos | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Business Networking Meeting | Christian Professionals Network Tampa Bay | 11:30AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| In PERSON Networking Lunch East Brandon Reserve your seat | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Monday Business Introductions at Romi’s Taco’s | Tampa Bay Business Networking Meetings & Mixers | 11:30AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| St. Pete Networking Lunch! Fords Garage! Monday’s | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| How to Turn Your Startup Vision into Reality: Lessons from Startup Founders | Tampa Startup Founder 101 | 1:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Florida Botanical Gardens – Free!!! | Saint Petersburg Fun Friends Group + Hiking/Biking 45+ | 1:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Introduction To The Exposure Triangle- Settings, Shooting Modes & Light Metering | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 6:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| March Book: The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict | Wines Between the Reading | 6:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Monday Feast & Game Night | Tampa Bay Tabletoppers | 6:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Speakeasy Toastmasters #4698 | Toastmasters District 48 | 6:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| MTG: Commander Night | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Root w/Advanced Setup | Sarasota Strategy Board Game League | 6:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Monday Weekly Board Game Night! (Lazy Moon Colonial Location) | Board Game Meetup: Board Game Boxcar | 6:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| North Port Toastmasters Meets Online!! | Toastmasters District 48 | 6:30PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Three Bridges Brewing Trivia Night with the Smartphone Trivia Game Show | Game Night Meetup for Trivia in Tampa, Sarasota, Venice | 6:30PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| How To Shoot Event Photography- Methods, Fundamentals, Techniques & Image Study! | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 7:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Board Game Night at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 7:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Stirling Toastmasters Club #7461614 | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Members as far back as 2008 can access their photos | School is closed- Light Study PRO – A Photography Workshop | 7:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| ONLINE: Comparing Shoshin to Stoicism, Part 2 | Orlando Stoics | 7:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Online Event: Shut Up & Write!® Your Life Story (on Zoom) | Shut Up & Write!® St. Petersburg | 7:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| DigiMondays | Sunshine Games | 7:30PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Weekly Meetup | Beginning Web Development | 8:00PM – Monday, Mar. 4 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Tuesday, March 5
On Tuesday at 10 a.m., Computer Coach will hold their online session, “How to Bounce Back from a Layoff Because Luck is NOT a Strategy.” They’ll discuss actionable steps you should be taking to help you bounce back from a layoff and reduce your unemployment time to get back to work quickly. Find out more and register here.
At 6 p.m. at Green Bench Brewing in St. Pete, St. Pete AI are hosting their “Building an AI Chatbot” meetup, where they’ll discuss prominent figures and business in the AI industry and innovative AI projects developed in St. Petersburg. There’ll also be opportunities to meet your fellow local AI enthusiasts! Find out more and register here.
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Venice Area Toastmasters Club #5486 | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| NPI St. Pete Business Builders Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals | Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) | 7:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| How to Bounce Back from a Layoff Because Luck is NOT a Strategy | Front End Creatives | 10:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| How to Bounce Back from a Layoff Because Luck is NOT a Strategy | Tampa Cybersecurity Training | 10:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| How to Bounce Back from a Layoff Because Luck is NOT a Strategy | Tech Success Network | 10:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Westchase Business Networking Lunch ~ All Welcome JOIN us and connect! | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Tuesday Westchase Business Networking Lunch at Sea Glass Tavern | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Westchase Professional Business Networking Lunch ~ All Welcome | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Networking at SeaGlass Tavern~ All Welcome, join us!!! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Westchase Professionals Business Networking Lunch -Grand Hacienda 11955 Sheldon | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Professional Business Networking Lunch Glory Day’s New Tampa | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| New Tampa Networking Lunch at Glory Day’s Grill New Tampa | Wesley Chapel, Trinity, New Tampa, Business Professionals | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Networking at Glory Days Grill | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| New Tampa RGA Chapter ~ Glory Days Meet your next referral partner! | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Networking at AppleBee’s St. Pete | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| The Business Alliance Club | The Business Alliance | 11:45AM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| The Business Networking Midday Power Hour by Simply Referrals on Zoom!! | Simply Referrals Tampa Business Networking | 12:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| HEALTH FREE WEBINAR – Focus & Productivity Hacks | Tampa Small Business Owners – EVERYONE WELCOME | 12:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Becoming strategic, Christian Small Business Owners Networking + Discussion | Christian Small Business Owners → Education + Networking | 1:30PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Chess club Tuesdays | Tarpon Springs Pop Culture & Gaming Meetup | 4:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Weekly Open Make Night | Tampa Hackerspace | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Magic: The Gathering Night at Felicitous | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| 📸 An Introduction To Portrait Shoots For Photographers – Techniques & Tips 📸 | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Building an AI Chatbot | St Pete AI | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Hobby Night | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Monthly meeting | Brooksville Book Writing Meetup Group | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Weekly Tuesday Evening Online Zoom Meeting | Pinellas Writers Group | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Authors Anonymous – Writing Group | Authors Anonymous – Writing Group | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Virtual Working Meeting: Website Office Hours for Nonprofits | Tech4Good Tampa | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa | Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Build The Game Dots and Boxes in Flutter | GDG Tampa Bay | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Inaugural Meet and Greet plus Music Bingo at Bubba’s 33 – Wesley Chapel | Wesley Chapel Fabulous 40s and 50s Food and Fun Meetup Group | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| The Sarasota Creative Writers | The Sarasota Creative Writers Meetup Group | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Electronics Meetup | Tampa Hackerspace | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| D&D Adventurers League at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Dunedin Toastmasters – Guests Welcome! (Happy Hour to Follow) | Dunedin Toastmasters 2166 | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Naples Toastmasters Club #2835 | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| 🟠How To Get Models & Actors To SHOW UP For Shoots – Reducing The Flake Factor🔵 | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| MakerFX Makerspace 3D Printing Basics | MakerFX Makerspace | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Creative Speaking | Creative Speaking St Pete | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games Meetup for Young Adults | St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games for Young Adults | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Trivia Night with Trivia Nation | Trivia Night at Irish 31 Seminole | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Trivia Night – Moose Lodge 2117 Smartphone Trivia Game Show | Game Night Meetup for Trivia in Tampa, Sarasota, Venice | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Neon Dreams Arcade | Gen Geek | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| AMA – Ask Me Anything Related to Photography, Computers and Software | Florida Center for Creative Photography | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Lapvona Full Book | No Tomes Allowed Book Club | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Let’s play chess at 54th Ave Kava House! | TB Chess – Tampa Bay – St. Petersburg Chess Meetup Group | 7:30PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Online Event: Shut Up & Write on Zoom | Shut Up & Write!® Tampa | 7:45PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Wednesday, March 6
On Wednesday at 8 a.m., the Data, Cloud, and AI meetup group will host an online session: Our Future is AI: How to choose which one you want to live with. In this session, IBM Enterprise Architect Jason Garforth will talk about:
- How we got to “Generative AI” from early work in the 1940’s, what it is and what it is not
- What to look for in “ethical” uses of AI/GenAI
- Where it may be going with approaches such as NeuroSymbolic AI and SynAGI from IBM Research
- How to tell, in the near future, which AI’s you will want in your home and which ones you do not…
There’ll be another broadcast of this talk on Thursday afternoon!
Find out more and register here.
At 10 a.m., Computer Coach will hold an online “Talent Acquisition + Job Seeker Mixer” event, where you can meet with local corporate talent acquisition professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers from the comfort of your own computer (or phone). While it isn’t a hiring event, it is your chance to engage with local companies, ask questions, learn and make connections! Find out more and register here.
At noon, Women Who Code Tampa will host the online event, Technically Speaking: Fair & Equitable with Ally Financial. This talk will feature Dr. Samira Shaikh, Director Lead of Data Science at Ally Financial. She’ll will explore the realm of Fair & Equitable AI, drawing from her professional journey to answer your questions about AI and give you tips for success in navigating your career. Find out more and register here.
At 6:00 p.m. at Kforce, Tampa Devs will host the in-person session, Tuning Android app performance for 150 MILLION devices. This talk will be about how Amazon tuned the FireTV app Fire Channels to deliver a blazing fast experience for millions of devices and reduced app startup time by up to 70% in time for its release in 2022. This talk will also cover:
- Why mobile performance is important
- How to measure Android performance
- How to automate performance benchmarks in CI
- Performance best practices
Find out more and register here.
If you’re on the Pinellas side of the Bay and looking for something in-person to do at 6 p.m., Agile Lean Beer will be at OCC Road House & Museum in Clearwater! Find out more and register here.
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Grow Your Business with focused Referral Networking | BNI Tampa -Referral based networking | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| St Pete Networking Breakfast at the Hangar Meet St Pete’s Top Pro’s All Weclcome | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Networking at The Hanger Restaurant & Flight Lounge! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| NPI Profit Partners Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals | Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Tampa Highrisers Toastmasters | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:45AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Our Future is AI: How to choose which one you want to live with | Data, Cloud and AI in Tampa | 8:00AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| 1 Million Cups – Orlando Weekly Meetup | 1 Million Cups – Orlando | 8:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Hyperledger webinar with JSCC/IBM: JSCC’s Besu Production Launch and Next Steps | Hyperledger Tampa | 9:00AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Alligator Lake Park. Updated post. Last post had wrong starting time. | Suncoast Drone Club | 9:00AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Talent Acquisition + Job Seeker Mixer | Tech Success Network | 10:00AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Talent Acquisition + Job Seeker Mixer | Front End Creatives | 10:00AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Talent Acquisition + Job Seeker Mixer | Career Success Academy | 10:00AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Talent Acquisition + Job Seeker Mixer | Tampa Cybersecurity Training | 10:00AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| In Person Networking BRANDON! Just Love Coffee Cafe – Brandon FL | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:15AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Sun City Center Professional Business Networking Lunch ~ All Welcome | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Carrollwood Networking Lunch! Join us and win! | Tampa Bay Networking Meetings and Mixers | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Networking at Glory Days Grill! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Brandon Networking Professionals Networking Lunch | Tampa Bay Business Networking Meetings & Mixers | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Carrollwood Professional Networking Lunch Wednesday All Welcome JOIN us | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Brandon Business Professionals Just Love Coffee | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Brandon Business Professionals IN Person!!!! | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Networking at Just Love Coffee! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Business Networking Lunch | Bradenton/Sarasota Networking Meetings and Mixers | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Technically Speaking: Fair & Equitable with Ally Financial | WWCode Global Event | Women Who Code Tampa | 12:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Why Corporate Innovation Is Failing: Rethinking Strategies for Success | Tampa Startup Founder 101 | 1:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Online Event: Shut Up & Write!® Your Life Story (on Zoom) | Shut Up & Write!® St. Petersburg | 1:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Inspiring Authors & Book Immersion Meetup | Lady Lake Memoir Writing Meetup Group | 2:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Let’s Meetup to Discuss our trip to the French Riviera, Mar. 6, 3:00PM | Boomers Travel Together | 3:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Wednesday Night Gaming | Brandon Boardgamers | 5:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Playing Games in the Alley | The Tampa Chapter of the Society for the Exploration of Play | 5:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Bay pines toastmaster’s hybrid meeting | Bay Pines Toastmasters | 5:15PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Felicitous Game Night w/Heritage Dim Sum | Tampa Game Nights | 5:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Wednesday Board Game Night | Tampa Gaming Guild | 5:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Felicitous Game Night w/Heritage Dim Sum | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 5:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Authors Anonymous presents Writing Workshop | Authors Anonymous – Writing Group | 5:45PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Tuning Android app performance for 150 MILLION devices | Tampa Devs | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Casual Commander Wednesdays | Sunshine Games | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Agile Lean Beer (St. Petersburg) | Tampa Bay Agile | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Hobby Night – Minis Painting Tips & Tricks at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Our First in-Person Meetup | Southeast Opensource for IBM Z Meetup Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Great Big Trivia Wednesdays @ Terra Ceia Bay Country Club Palmetto 6-8PM | South Florida Poker, Music & Entertainment Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Dungeons & Dragons One Shot Wednesdays | Clermont Nerd Games | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Trivia Night at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Gaming Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| 1st & 3rd Wednesdays – Backgammon Casual Games | Sanford Backgammon Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Board Game Night at Deadwords Brewing | Brews N Board Games | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Monthly Meeting: Learn How to Write a Query Letter (That Gets a Response) | Prose Society Writers Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Yoga in Midtown | ► Tampa Bay Young Professionals Group | 6:20PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Advance Resin 3D Printing | Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Blockchain and Crypto Investors and Enthusiasts | Web3Collab St. Petersburg | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| March Virtual Trivia Night | Project Management of Pinellas County | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Blockchain Investors and Enthusiasts | Blockchain and Crypto Investors and Enthusiasts | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Game Night! | Drunk’n Meeples the Social Tabletop (Board) Gamers | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| 🍷Therapist Wine Down 🎉 | Tampa Bay Area Mental Health Professionals | 6:45PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| EUCHRE @ FERGS!!! The hanger is closed for Grand Prix! | Castaways Euchre Club | 6:50PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Validate Your 1st Profitable Print-On Demand Product – LIVE! | Tampa Bay Amazon Sellers E-commerce Meetup | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| 🟪How To Use Rhythm To Improve Your Photography – Techniques & Lots Of Examples! | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Annie Leibovitz: Celebrity Portrait Photographer | The Art Of Photography – Tampa/St. Pete Chapter | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| MtG Modern Constructed at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Carrollwood Toastmasters Meetings meet In-Person and Online | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Bitcoin Social | Tampa Bay Bitcoin | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis | Chan’s Book Club of Tampa Bay | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| FREE WEBINAR – HOW TO SELL ANYTHING TO ANYONE | Florida Small Business Owners | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Validate Your 1st Profitable Print-On Demand Product – LIVE! | Tampa Amazon Seller Meetup Group | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Magic Pioneer Event | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Nerd Night: Board Games and Beer at Deadwords Brewing | Adventures On Tap: TTRPGs and Board Games | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Annie Leibovitz: Celebrity Portrait Photographer | The Art Of Photography – Sarasota / Venice | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Books & Banter: Carrie Soto is Back | Library Book Clubs – OCLS | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| New Beginnings & Old Rivalries | Central Florida AD&D (1st ed.) Grognards Guild | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Mastering Communication: A Key to Professional Success | Professionals Meetup For Networking And Social Skillsets | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Communication – Personal and Professional Growth | Make Contacts Meet People and Communicate | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Cardfight Vanguard!! OverDress Weekly | Sunshine Games | 7:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Print-on-Demand Mastery: Launch a Lucrative Home-Based Hustle! | Digital Success Mentors – Tampa | 8:00PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Carollwood Professionals Networking Lunch! | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30PM – Wednesday, Mar. 6 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Thursday, March 7
In case you couldn’t make the Wednesday 8 a.m. talk, there will be another online session of Our Future is AI: How to choose which one you want to live with at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday! In this session, IBM Enterprise Architect Jason Garforth will talk about:
- How we got to “Generative AI” from early work in the 1940’s, what it is and what it is not
- What to look for in “ethical” uses of AI/GenAI
- Where it may be going with approaches such as NeuroSymbolic AI and SynAGI from IBM Research
- How to tell, in the near future, which AI’s you will want in your home and which ones you do not…
Find out more and register here.
At 5:30 p.m. at the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center, the Tampa Java User Group will feature the talk Wargames – Java vulnerabilities and why you should care. Gerrit Grunwald will talk about vulnerabilities in Java and Java-based applications. Learn the meaning of acronyms such as NVD, CVE, CVSS, CPU, PSU, and more — and how they’re related to Java security. You’ll also leanr about tools you can use to you to check whether your Java application is vulnerable to known issues. Find out more and register here.
At 7 p.m., the Tampa Bay Drupal User Group will gather at the Panera on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater to meet in person, eat, and talk Drupal! Find out more and register here.
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Commander Open Play Night at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 1:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Thursday Night Gaming | Brandon Boardgamers | 5:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Tomb of Annihilation (T2-APL8) | Orlando Adventurer’s Guild | 5:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| 2nd ed. AD&D Campaign. | Brandon and Seffner area AD&D and OSR Group | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Pathfinder Society | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Central Florida Board Gaming at The Collective | Orlando Board Gaming Weekly Meetup | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| BABOK IIBA Tampa Bay Study Group | IIBA Tampa Bay | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| One Piece Thursdays | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| FABulous Thursdays | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament | Balance Martial Arts and Gaming | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Thursday chess at 54th Ave Kava House! | TB Chess – Tampa Bay – St. Petersburg Chess Meetup Group | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Smartphone Trivia Game Show at Wilders Pizza | Game Night Meetup for Trivia in Tampa, Sarasota, Venice | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Dungeons and Dragons with Donavan | Unlucky Roll Cafe Board Game Meetup | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Live streaming production and talent | Live streaming production and talent | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| The Business Networking Midday Power Hour by Simply Referrals on Zoom!! | Simply Referrals Tampa Business Networking | 12:00PM – Tuesday, Mar. 5 |
| Happy Hangar Early Bird Professionals Networking | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 7:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Business Over Breakfast ~ Happy Hangar IN PERSON JOIN US! | Wesley Chapel, Trinity, New Tampa, Business Professionals | 7:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Happy Hangar Early Bird Professionals Networking | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 7:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Wesley Chapel/Lutz networking breakfast | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 7:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| LUTZ, FL – HAPPY HANGER CAFE THURSDAY NETWORKING | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 8:00AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Running Hyperledger Besu in the Enterprise: What’s New and What’s Next | Hyperledger Tampa | 11:00AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| The Founders Meeting where it all Began! JOIN us! Bring a guest and get a gift | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:00AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Clearwater Professional Networking Lunch | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:00AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Pinellas County’s Largest Networking Lunch and your invited! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:00AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Clearwater/Central Pinellas Networking Lunch JOIN us and connect your business | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:00AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Pinellas County’s Largest Networking Lunch and your invited! | Tampa Bay Business Networking Happy Hour/Meetings/Meet Up | 11:00AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Lutz / Wesley Chapel Professional Networking Lunch at Bahama Breeze! | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Lutz / Wesley Chapel Professional Networking Lunch at Bahama Breeze! | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 11:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Wesley Chapel Professional Networking Lunch | Wesley Chapel, Trinity, New Tampa, Business Professionals | 11:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Breakroom Bar & Grill 11:28 Doors open at 11:00am IN Person | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| NPI Power Lunch – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals | Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) | 11:30AM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Sarasota Speakers Exchange Toastmasters | Toastmasters District 48 | 12:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| RPG: Pathfinder Society at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Role-Playing Games (RPG) Group | 2:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Our Future is AI: How to choose which one you want to live with | Data, Cloud and AI in Tampa | 3:30PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Gulfport Scrabble and Social | Gulfport Scrabblers and Social | 5:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Guest Photographer Presentation and Discussion: Photojournalist Alan Youngblood | Ocala Photography Group | 5:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Wargames – Java vulnerabilities and why you should care | Tampa Java User Group | 5:30PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| New Members Meet & Greet | Power BI Data Geeks Support Group | 6:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| 1st Thursday Networking Mixer, Romi’s Tacos & RGANetwork.net $10 cash at door | Tampa Bay Business Networking Meetings & Mixers | 6:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Business Happy Hour ~ Cafe Delanie 1st Thursday Every Month 6pm to 8pm | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 6:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| After Hours Mixer Romi’s Tacos! All Welcome $10 cash | Tampa Bay Networking Meetings and Mixers | 6:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| March Book Club Discussion – Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky | Sanford Book Club | 6:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Chess night! | Lakeland Chess Meetup Group | 6:30PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Tampa Bay Drupal & Web Technologies Q&A. Everyone welcome! | Tampa Bay Drupal User Group | 7:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Shopbot Safety and Usage (Members Only) | Tampa Hackerspace | 7:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Operations Automation Office Hours | Tampa Robotic Process Automation Group | 7:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Country line @3 daughters | Gen Geek | 7:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| March – The Last Bookshop in London | Books & Brews! | 7:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| An introduction to SQL relational databases for complete beginners | Florida Software School | 8:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Weekly Hacks | Hacktivate – Hackathon Meetup Group | 8:00PM – Thursday, Mar. 7 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Friday, March 8
On Friday at 10 a.m., join me and Computer Coach for the online session, Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills. Software may be eating the world, but software needs hardware to run! In this talk, I’ll talk about the value of knowing how hardware works, as well as how to get started on building your hardware skills. Find out more and register here.
The big event of the week happens on Friday at 6 p.m. at the BX2 Event Space at University Mall — the Spring Technology Festival, which also happens to be a 50th birthday party for local techie-about-town Tracy Ingram! But it’s more than a birthday party; it’s a celebration of Tampa Bay’s tech scene, which has come a long way. The event will unite various local tech entities, highlight the achievements of women in technology, and generate support for Girls Who Code. It’s not just a celebration of historical milestones but also a platform to foster future innovations and collaborations in the Tampa Bay tech community. If you’re interested in our local tech scene, join us at this event! Find out more and register here.
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Improve your communication, listening, and leadership skills | Winter Park Toastmasters – Learn while having FUN! | 7:15AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Caffeine & Connections: Friday Fuel for Black Professionals | Pinellas County Black Business Meetup Group | 8:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| A.C.T. Acquire Connections Today Morning Business Networking All Welcome! | Entrepreneurs & Business Owners of Sarasota & Bradenton | 8:45AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Tampa Young Professionals Virtual Networking Friday Morning All WElCOME | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 8:45AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| A.C.T. Acquire Connections Today Morning Virtual Business Networking | Network & Social – Orlando Networking Events | 8:45AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Business over Breakfast Clearwater | Tampa Bay Networking Meetings and Mixers | 9:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Networking over breakfast | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 9:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| FBI ~ Friday Business Introductions at Largo Family Restaurant | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 9:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Online Networking with Brandon Biz Pros | Brandon Biz Pros | 9:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Toastmasters – Improve Speaking Skills & Build Confidence | Christian Professionals Network Tampa Bay | 9:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills | Career Success Academy | 10:00AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills | Front End Creatives | 10:00AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills | Tech Success Network | 10:00AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills | Tampa Cybersecurity Training | 10:00AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Ms. Biz Connectz- business leaders brainstorm together | Ms. Biz Connectz- business leaders brainstorming together | 10:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| International Networking at McAlisters Deli every Friday | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Friday International Business Introductions at McAlisters Westshore | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Westshore Business Networking Lunch at McAlisters Deli Every Friday All Welcome | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| International Professionals Networking Meeting | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Friday Business Introductions Tampa | Tampa Bay Networking Meetings and Mixers | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| International Networking at McAlisters Deli every Friday | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| International Networking Westshore McAlisters Deli | Tampa Bay Business Networking Happy Hour/Meetings/Meet Up | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| International Professionals Networking Meeting | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| International Professionals Networking Meeting | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| WORKSHOP: Transform Your Business with Smart Bookkeeping! | Florida Small Business Owners | 12:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| WORKSHOP – Elevate Your Earnings: Strategic Bookkeeping Wins! | Tampa Small Business Owners – EVERYONE WELCOME | 12:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Pokémon Tournament Battles for a Prize! | Orlando Pokemon Tournament Meet up | 2:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| WEEKLY FRIDAY NIGHT GAMING AT GAMER’S COMMAND | Brandon Boardgamers | 5:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Board Game Night! | Clermont Nerd Games | 5:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! | Lake Mary Pokemon Meetup Group Lets Play | 5:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Friday Board Game Night | Tampa Gaming Guild | 5:30PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Taps & Drafts | Casual EDH/MtG Social Night | Nerd Night Out | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| MTG: Commander FNM | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| GROWTH MINDSET | Self-Perfected Orlando | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Taps & Drafts | EDH/MtG Night | Centro Ybor | Nerdbrew Events | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Modern FNM | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Friday Pokemon Tournament | Sunshine Games | 7:30PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Friday night game night | Indica Cafe Events | 9:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Virtual “2nd Fridays” Lean Coffee Orlando | Agile Orlando | 7:30AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Focused conversation for documentarians | Write the Docs Florida | 8:30AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Local Stories Live! Hillsborough County | Suncoast Credit Union Micro Enterprise Development Meetup | 9:00AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| St. Petersburg Grand Prix | The Art Of Photography – Tampa/St. Pete Chapter | 10:00AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| WINTER PARK: Join us for outrageous connection, growth and networking too! | Powerful Women Networking | 11:30AM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Spring Technology Festival – 50 years of Tampa Tech | Girls in Tech Tampa Bay | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Tracy Ingrams Birthday & Spring Technology Festival – 50 years of Tampa Tech | BarCamp Tampa Bay | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Spring Technology Festival – 50 years of Tampa Tech | Tampa Lean Startup Circle | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Dog-friendly Speed Dating & Singles Mixer | The Pinellas County Young “Professionals” | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Blood on the Clocktower at Blackbird Comics and Coffeehouse | Sunshine Social Deduction Gaming | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Cursed Court with Nicko at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Gaming Group | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Shut Up & Write!® Gulfport | Shut Up & Write!® St. Petersburg | 6:30PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Anatomy of a Fall @ Eckerd College | The Tampa Bay Movie Fans Meetup Group | 6:45PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| New Member Meet and Greet at Casa Santo Stefano | Sicilian Restaurant | Ybor | TAMPA TRAVEL AND MEETUP GROUP | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| MakerFX Maskerspace Laser Guild | MakerFX Makerspace | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Book Discussion: Circe | Pages and Plates Book Club | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Horror Friends Movie Night – Imaginary!!! | Horror Fan Fun Time Gang | 7:45PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| ✨🎮 Free Workshop | Game Concept Realization – 📅 Mar 8th @ 9 PM EST | Orlando Unity Developers Group | 9:00PM – Friday, Mar. 8 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Saturday, March 9
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament | Balance Martial Arts and Gaming | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Pokémon Tournament Battles for a Prize! | Orlando Pokemon Tournament Meet up | 2:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! | Lake Mary Pokemon Meetup Group Lets Play | 5:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Wake Up and Think Clearly Saturday morning share and discuss. | Central Florida Philosophy Meetup | 7:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Creative business minds & coffee | Orlando Innovative Business Minds: Creative Strategy Meetup | 8:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Early Bird Ocala | Toastmasters Division G | 8:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Saturday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa | Chess Republic | 9:30AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Dungeons & Dragons for Teens Saturdays | Tarpon Springs Pop Culture & Gaming Meetup | 11:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Winning The Week – 1st Meet | Winning The Week | 12:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| FREE Fab Lab Orientation | Suncoast Makers | 1:30PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Y Read: Book Read Aloud | Library Book Clubs – OCLS | 1:30PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Social climbing of Mount Chesseverest | Climbers of Mount Chesseverest | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Board Game Saturday Night at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Gaming Group | 5:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Community Hang-out Night | Nerdbrew Events | 6:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| 🌐 SAT 3/9 at 10 AM ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY CRITIQUE PROGRAM | The Art Of Photography – Tampa/St. Pete Chapter | 10:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Bravo Group Campaign Continues | Oviedo Middle Aged Gamers (OMAG) | 11:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| JASNA March Meeting | The Jane Austen Book Club | 11:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Come For Lunch and Good Company! | Adults With High-Functioning Autism Tampa Meetup Group | 12:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| ChatGPT Plus: The Amazon Seller’s New Best Friend | Tampa Amazon Seller Meetup Group | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Prehistoric Predators at ZooTampa | Geekocracy! | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Coach Me If You Can! | New Entrepreneurship Connections | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| GOAL SETTING VIRTUAL WORKSHOP:Create 2+ Ideal Action Plans to Achieve Your Goals | Beast Mode Networking Orlando | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Weekend Gaming in Dunedin | Drunk’n Meeples the Social Tabletop (Board) Gamers | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Star Wars Armada Tournament | Critical Hit Games | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Laser Cutter Orientation (Members Only) | Tampa Hackerspace | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Radiant Citadel Adventures: Tier 1 | Orlando Adventurer’s Guild | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| MURDER IN PARADISE: A Braden River Library Presentation | Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Dune Part Two, on Saturday March 9 | The Tampa Bay Movie Fans Meetup Group | 3:15PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Meetup 🥒🥎: Pickleball 🏓 then 🍔🍻 | Tampa Bay Web3 Frens | 4:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Meta Minds Meetup | Meta Minds Meetup Philosophy science and human experience | 4:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Game Night 2nd Saturday of each Month 4 – 10 PM | Seminole Isle Board Games & Fun Group | 4:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Monthly Bitcoin: Q and A | Bitcoin Orlando | 4:30PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Conscious Party | Tampa Bay Web3 Frens | 7:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Light Painting (playing with light) – Arboretum – 7pm – 2 Hours | Tampa Photography Group | 7:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Tour of Destruction! Demolition Derby Extravanaganza | Gen Geek | 7:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 9 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Sunday, March 10
On Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Embassy Suites in Brandon, Moonpreneur is hosting a free robotics workshop for kids 7 – 14 years old. Find out more and register here.
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Pokémon Tournament Battles for a Prize! | Orlando Pokemon Tournament Meet up | 2:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! | Lake Mary Pokemon Meetup Group Lets Play | 5:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Warhammer 40K | Clermont Nerd Games | 11:00AM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Thaliondor Practice Day! | Thaliondor: Fantasy and Medieval Combat | 11:00AM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Board Games at Big Storm in Odessa | Beyond Catan, A Group of Board Game Geeks | 12:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Venice Strategy Board Gamers | Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton | 12:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Sunday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa | Chess Republic | 2:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| D&D Adventurers League at Critical Hit Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 2:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| D&D Adventurers League | Critical Hit Games | 2:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Sunday Pokemon League | Sunshine Games | 4:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Sunday Game Day | Drunk’n Meeples West Pasco (Boardgames) | 4:30PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Lankhmar: City of Adventure | Brandon and Seffner area AD&D and OSR Group | 5:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Open Game Night | Unlucky Roll Cafe Board Game Meetup | 6:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| A Duck Presents NB Movie Night | Nerd Night Out | 7:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Hidden Gems Night, Presented by A Duck! | Nerdbrew Events | 7:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| 🌐 SUN 3/10 at 10 AM ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY CRITIQUE PROGRAM | The Art Of Photography – Tampa/St. Pete Chapter | 10:00AM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| CRITICAL THINKERS SUNDAY Meetup AT Members Ken’s Residence on Siesta Key | Suncoast Critical Thinking Discussion Group | 10:00AM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| FPV At The Ninja Training Grounds | Tampa Bay Drone Club | 10:30AM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Eureka Springs Park | Gen Geek | 12:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| 3D Printing basics | Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group | 12:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Writing Meet-Up: Let’s Get to Work! | Prose Society Writers Group | 12:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Monthly Gaming at the Deltona Library | Board Gamers of West Volusia | 12:30PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| 3D designing | Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| CSYPs Second Sunday Brunch (Picnic) | Christian Single Young Professionals CSYPs | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| 2ND SUNDAY OF THE MONTH BOARDGAMING AT NERDY NEEDS | Brandon Boardgamers | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Entrepreneur Classes Preview | New Entrepreneurship Connections | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| New Player Nights: Downtime Day | Orlando Adventurer’s Guild | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| In-Person Event: Free Robotics Workshop, Tampa, FL (7-14 Yrs) | In person Robotics Meetup Group For Kids | 2:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| [FREE WORKSHOP] – Delegating 2024: Pro Hints, Remote Aides Inclusive | Florida Small Business Owners | 2:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Please join us | Central Florida Computer Society | 2:45PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| 3D printing | Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group | 3:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Lecture | The Guild of Independent Game Developers | 5:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Alphabet Soup 2024 | Finding Letters in the World Around Us | Florida Center for Creative Photography | 5:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Find Your Funny Toastmasters | Toastmasters Division E | 6:30PM – Sunday, Mar. 10 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
About this list
How do I put this list together? It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.
In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.
What goes into this list? I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:
- Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
- Tech project management / agile processes
- Video, board, and role-playing games
- Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
- Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
- Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
- Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
- Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
- Anything I deem geeky
ℹ️ TL;DR: While wandering around the streets of Austin, Texas, I unknowingly stumbled into Twitch/OnlyFans streamer PeachJars’ “Free Advice 4 Charity” table, and hilarity ensued. Scroll down to see the video!
Tuesday evening
“How do you stay optimistic?”
This is what someone who’d attended my talk at Civo Navigate North America 2024 asked me during the social event at the end of the conference’s first day.
“What do you mean?” I asked, because I wasn’t sure what he was referring to.
“At the start of your talk, you mentioned that you were recently laid off. It’s brutal out there right now, but you wouldn’t know it from the way you gave your talk. You look like you were having fun.”
Photo by Jay Boisseau. Tap to view at full size.
“Maybe I’m wired that way,” I replied. “But it’s also that this isn’t my first layoff. I find that things go better if you have a firm belief that you can make things better.”
“In fact,” I added, “because this isn’t my first rodeo (hey, we were in Texas; I’m supposed to use that metaphor!), I know that inside the rough times, there are a lot of surprising good times baked in.”
Thursday morning
This was the day after the conference. It was morning, and my flight wouldn’t depart until 6:15 p.m. I had a couple of choices:
Option 1: Hunker down in the hotel lobby and continue the job search. After all, it is a brutal job market at the moment, even for people with my experience.
The Moxy’s lobby isn’t so much a hotel lobby as it is a pretty nice hangout space with good free wifi and coffee, lots of tables and power outlets, good music, a bar, and a nice taco restaurant. I could easily get a lot of job search work done there, which some might say would be the smart thing to do with that time.
Option 2: Leave my bags at the hotel, break a twenty-dollar bill into small change, strap on the accordion, take in the sights, sounds, and people of Austin, and make some people’s days a little odder (and hopefully better).
You’ve probably already guessed what I did.
Tap to view at full size.
I met Ryan the busker at Guadalupe and 23rd and put a fiver in his bucket. In exchange, he invited me to play Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ with him, and as a Florida musician, I am legally required to be able to play Tom Petty. We had fun.
A number of people at the nearby bus stop shot video of us, so you might see it floating around the internet.
Free advice for charity
Tap to view at full size.
The breakout moment of my walk was when I passed by a table that was promoting free advice for charity, where the charity was Alveus, an exotic animal sanctuary that provides permanent homes to non-releasable exotic animals.
A cheerful young woman sat at the table, flanked by another holding a sign, and a third running what looked like a streaming camera rig. I confirmed the “streaming” part when I saw that the table had a sign that showed the seated woman’s Twitch URL.
PeachJars, I thought. Cute name. I’ll have to look up that channel later.
Rather than tell you what happened next, let me just show you the segment of her stream where I appeared. And be sure to read the stream of comments in the right column!
Later, on my flight back to Tampa, I looked up PeachJars online. It turns out that she’s a popular Twitch streamer who also has an OnlyFans account. This may be the only time I’ll ever be in a video with an OnlyFans artist!
😘 My thanks to PeachJars and company for being so kind!
Lunch with new friends
I had posted earlier on LinkedIn that I was in Austin for the day and asked if anyone wanted to do lunch. Luckily, Connor Brown, Noah Birrer, and Jacob Colvin answered the call, and we got together at Iron Works Barbecue, where Noah covered my lunch and I enjoyed the conversation so much that I forgot to take a picture.
Find the good times in the bad
I could’ve stayed in the hotel and worked on my job search, and I might be a few hours ahead today. But because I chose to step out onto the streets of Austin — a city that I don’t see every day — I had experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise had, met people I wouldn’t have otherwise met, and my headspace is even readier for the hustle.
I now have a better answer for the person who asked me how I stay optimistic while being laid off. It’s because I set out to find the good times in the bad. If you’re laid off, see if you can do the same.
I’ll close with this quote from Sigmund Freud that I’ve been hearing repeated lately:
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”
Also in this series…
- Laid off in 2024, part 1: The 15 worst minutes of 2024, followed by 15 more
- Laid off in 2024, part 2: First referrals and blue dragons
- Laid off in 2024, part 3: How are you doing?
- Laid off in 2024, part 4: Make the Year of the Blue Dragon YOUR year!
- Laid off in 2024, part 5: The next two weeks
- Laid off in 2024, part 6: The separation agreement / Money, money, money
- Laid off in 2024, part 7: Join me on “Surviving a Layoff” this Wednesday!
- Laid off in 2024, part 8: Step one — get a box…
- Laid off in 2024, part 9: The box came back, the very next day…
- Laid off in 2024, part 10: Unearned consequences
- Laid off in 2024, part 11: The dreaded non-disparagement clause
- Laid off in 2024, part 12: Lessons from “The Martian” and other notes
Here’s the “official unofficial” list of tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events for Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for Monday, February 26 through Sunday, March 3, 2024.
This week’s events
- Monday, February 26
- Tuesday, February 27
- Wednesday, February 28
- Thursday, February 29
- Friday, March 1
- Saturday, March 2
- Sunday, March 3
Monday, February 26
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Virtual Class: Social Media Management Beginner Boot Camp Certification | Orlando Social Media Enthusiasts | 10:00AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| In person at Fords Garage St Pete | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:00AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Networking at Ford’s Garage | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:00AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Downtown St Pete Business Professionals Lunch | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:00AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Networking at Romi’s Tacos | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Start the Week with more connections MONDAYS at Romi’s Tacos All Welcome! | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:30AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Business Networking Meeting | Christian Professionals Network Tampa Bay | 11:30AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| In PERSON Networking Lunch East Brandon Reserve your seat | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Monday Business Introductions at Romi’s Taco’s | Tampa Bay Business Networking Meetings & Mixers | 11:30AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Trinity Professional Networking Lunch Start your week off with more connections! | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Product-Market Fit Basics: How to Explain Your Product to Your Customers | Tampa Startup Founder 101 | 1:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| The Immediate and Future Impact of Apple’s Vision Pro | Tampa XR | 5:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| February Sunset Group Shoot | Tampa Bay Beach and Sunset Photography and Modeling Classes | 5:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Radiant Ridge Toastmasters | Toastmasters Division G | 5:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Monday Feast & Game Night | Tampa Bay Tabletoppers | 6:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Speakeasy Toastmasters #4698 | Toastmasters District 48 | 6:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Oath Campaign – Chronicle Five | Sarasota Strategy Board Game League | 6:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| MTG: Commander Night | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Monday Weekly Board Game Night! (Lazy Moon Colonial Location) | Board Game Meetup: Board Game Boxcar | 6:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Weekday Writing Get Down | We Write Here Black and Women of Color Writing Group | 6:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| North Port Toastmasters Meets Online!! | Toastmasters District 48 | 6:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Three Bridges Brewing Trivia Night with the Smartphone Trivia Game Show | Game Night Meetup for Trivia in Tampa, Sarasota, Venice | 6:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Let’s Play Spades | Orlando Spades Meetup Group | 6:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| 🔴 How To Escape Gear Acquisition Syndrome For Photographers! Brains Over Gear🟢 | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Board Game Night at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Lessons To Help the Introvert to Extrovert! | Tampa Self-Improvement Gaining Competence in People Skills | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Stirling Toastmasters Club #7461614 | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Storytelling Improv- introduction and workshop | Tampa Theatrical Storytelling Improv | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Let’s Read and Discuss “The Push” | Women’s Book Club Reading Books about Women | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Members as far back as 2008 can access their photos | School is closed- Light Study PRO – A Photography Workshop | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| ONLINE: Comparing Shoshin to Stoicism | Orlando Stoics | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Online Event: Shut Up & Write!® Your Life Story (on Zoom) | Shut Up & Write!® St. Petersburg | 7:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Zoom Meeting- Open Discussion Following the FL Audio Expo! | Suncoast Audiophile Society | 7:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Mischief Walkthrough with Slangin – Hack The Box Tampa Meetup | Hack The Box Meetup: Tampa, FL | 7:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| DigiMondays | Sunshine Games | 7:30PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Weekly Meetup | Beginning Web Development | 8:00PM – Monday, Feb. 26 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Tuesday, February 27
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Saturday, Feb. 24 |
| Free OPEN Passes to ProductWorld 2024- Live Online | Front End Creatives | 7:00AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Venice Area Toastmasters Club #5486 | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| v-Lean Coffee | Tampa Bay Agile | 7:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Sheffield Park | Suncoast Drone Club | 9:00AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Westchase Business Networking Lunch ~ All Welcome JOIN us and connect! | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Tuesday Westchase Business Networking Lunch at Sea Glass Tavern | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Westchase Professional Business Networking Lunch ~ All Welcome | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Networking at SeaGlass Tavern~ All Welcome, join us!!! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:00AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Westchase Professionals Business Networking Lunch -Grand Hacienda 11955 Sheldon | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Professional Business Networking Lunch Glory Day’s New Tampa | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| New Tampa Networking Lunch at Glory Day’s Grill New Tampa | Wesley Chapel, Trinity, New Tampa, Business Professionals | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Networking at Glory Days Grill | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Networking at AppleBee’s St. Pete | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| New Tampa RGA Chapter ~ Glory Days Meet your next referral partner! | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Networking and Lunch | Suncoast Business Network | 11:30AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| The Business Alliance Club | The Business Alliance | 11:45AM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| The Business Networking Midday Power Hour by Simply Referrals on Zoom!! | Simply Referrals Tampa Business Networking | 12:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Load In Day @ Synapse Volunteers Needed | TECHnically Volunteers of Tampa Bay | 1:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| $100,000 Lead Marketing System | Network After Work Tampa – Networking Events | 3:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Chess club Tuesdays | Tarpon Springs Pop Culture & Gaming Meetup | 4:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Professional Networking Happy Hour in Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay Business Networking Happy Hour/Meetings/Meet Up | 5:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Downtown St Pete Young Networking Professionals Mixer with RGA Network | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 5:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| St. Pete networking mixer by RGA/Tourch Designs/Cleanology/Ride em’ Cowboy | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 5:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| The Fiend of Hollow Mine, Part 1 – Poinciana – Tier 1 (APL 3) | Orlando Adventurer’s Guild | 5:30PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Young Professional Network & Social @ Rockpit Brewing | Young Professionals in Orlando #YPO | 5:30PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Magic: The Gathering Night at Felicitous | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Weekly Open Make Night | Tampa Hackerspace | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| *Resched for Tues* New Members Meet & Greet | Power BI Data Geeks Support Group | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Disney Lorcana Night | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Weekly Tuesday Evening Online Zoom Meeting | Pinellas Writers Group | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Authors Anonymous – Writing Group | Authors Anonymous – Writing Group | 6:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa | Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Weekday Writing Get Down | We Write Here Black and Women of Color Writing Group | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Build The Game Dots and Boxes in Flutter | GDG Tampa Bay | 6:30PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| D&D Adventurers League at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| 🔵 How To Manage Expectations On Portrait Shoots – Call Sheets & Mood Boards 🟠 | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| The MBA Tour: North America | Network After Work Tampa – Networking Events | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Dunedin Toastmasters – Guests Welcome 👍🐛 | Dunedin Toastmasters 2166 | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Cybersecurity Trivia: Security+ Exam Edition | CSNP – Orlando CyberSecurity | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Pythonic Monthly Meeting | The Orlando Python User Group | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Central Florida Computer Society TechSIG (Please join us!!) | Central Florida Computer Society | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Trivia Night with Trivia Nation | Trivia Night at Irish 31 Seminole | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Trivia Night – Moose Lodge 2117 Smartphone Trivia Game Show | Game Night Meetup for Trivia in Tampa, Sarasota, Venice | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games Meetup for Young Adults | St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games for Young Adults | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| AMA – Ask Me Anything Related to Photography, Computers and Software | Florida Center for Creative Photography | 7:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Let’s play chess at 54th Ave Kava House! | TB Chess – Tampa Bay – St. Petersburg Chess Meetup Group | 7:30PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Online Event: Shut Up & Write on Zoom | Shut Up & Write!® Tampa | 7:45PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Wednesday, February 28
The big event for Wednesday is the “800-pound gorilla” of Tampa Bay tech events: Synapse Summit 2024, taking place at Amalie Arena all day. Check out what’s happening at Synapse Summit in their agenda, and if you’re interested, there are two ways to attend:
- As a paid attendee. Tickets cost (and these numbers include the processing fee)…
- $52 for students,
- $104 for first responders, health care workers, teachers and military,
- $209 for general admission tickets, and
- $419 for VIP tickets (which include the VIP pre-party, VIP-only lounge, VIP-only programming, complimentary lunch, drinks, happy-hour, and more).
- As a volunteer. You can attend for free in exchange for helping out at the event. Click here to find out more!
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Volunteering at Synapse Summit | Tampa Bay Techies | 7:00AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Grow Your Business with focused Referral Networking | BNI Tampa -Referral based networking | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| St Pete Networking Breakfast at the Hangar Meet St Pete’s Top Pro’s All Weclcome | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Networking at The Hanger Restaurant & Flight Lounge! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| NPI Profit Partners Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals | Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) | 7:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Tampa Highrisers Toastmasters | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:45AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Quantum Series Part 3: Utility Scale Quantum Computing | Data, Cloud and AI in Tampa | 8:00AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| 1 Million Cups – Orlando Weekly Meetup | 1 Million Cups – Orlando | 8:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Webinar with Howest: Deploying and Hosting EBSI Nodes using Hyperledger Besu | Hyperledger Tampa | 10:00AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Midjourney Prompt Help & Advanced FAQ with A.I. Creative Compass! | Midjourney A.I. Art Meetup Group | 11:00AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| The Impact of MICA and Data Regulations on Blockchain Networks | Hyperledger Tampa | 11:00AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| In Person Networking BRANDON! Just Love Coffee Cafe – Brandon FL | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:15AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Sun City Center Professional Business Networking Lunch ~ All Welcome | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Carrollwood Networking Lunch! Join us and win! | Tampa Bay Networking Meetings and Mixers | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Networking at Glory Days Grill! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Brandon Networking Professionals Networking Lunch | Tampa Bay Business Networking Meetings & Mixers | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Brandon Business Professionals Just Love Coffee | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Brandon Business Professionals IN Person!!!! | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Networking at Just Love Coffee! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Carrollwood Professional Networking Lunch Wednesday All Welcome JOIN us | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Sebring Florida CIO Forum | Florida CIO Forums with vTECH io | 11:30AM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Lunch Hour Meetup | Sarasota Web Development Meetup Group | 12:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Heart of Agile MONTHLY Coffee Corner | Heart of Agile St. Pete – Tampa – Orlando | 12:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| The Future of Managing Startup Finance with AI & Automation | Tampa Startup Founder 101 | 1:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Online Event: Shut Up & Write!® Your Life Story (on Zoom) | Shut Up & Write!® St. Petersburg | 1:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Inspiring Authors & Book Immersion Meetup | Lady Lake Memoir Writing Meetup Group | 2:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Better Than AI? Discover The Master Marketer’s System To Attract Ideal Clients | Network After Work Tampa – Networking Events | 3:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Playing Games in the Alley | The Tampa Chapter of the Society for the Exploration of Play | 5:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Wednesday Night Gaming | Brandon Boardgamers | 5:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Bay pines toastmaster’s hybrid meeting | Bay Pines Toastmasters | 5:15PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| DUG Tampa February Power Meetup : Understanding RPA- Power Automate Desktop | DUG Power Platform & Dynamics 365 – Tampa | 5:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Felicitous Game Night w/Heritage Dim Sum | Tampa Game Nights | 5:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Wednesday Board Game Night | Tampa Gaming Guild | 5:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Felicitous Game Night w/Heritage Dim Sum | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 5:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Casual Commander Wednesdays | Sunshine Games | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Hobby Night – Minis Painting Tips & Tricks at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Board Game Night | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Great Big Trivia Wednesdays @ Terra Ceia Bay Country Club Palmetto 6-8PM | South Florida Poker, Music & Entertainment Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Dungeons & Dragons One Shot Wednesdays | Clermont Nerd Games | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Waterdeep Dragonheist (Tier 1) | Orlando Adventurer’s Guild | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Wine Down Wednesday – Ladies Night at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Gaming Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| CRITICAL THINKERS SUPPER AT AMOB LANDSIDE IN PRIVATE ROOM | Suncoast Critical Thinking Discussion Group | 6:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Tampa Bay Inventors Council – www.tbic.us bi-monthly Meetup | Tampa Bay Inventors Council – www.TampaBayInventors.org | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Game Night! | Drunk’n Meeples the Social Tabletop (Board) Gamers | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower – midway | The Weirder Things Book Club | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Tampa Writers Alliance Critique Group | Tampa Writers Alliance | 6:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Castaways Euchre Club | Castaways Euchre Club | 6:50PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Members Only: Plasma Table Orientation | Tampa Hackerspace | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| 🟪 How To Improve Your Photography By Filling The Frame – Methods That Work! 🟪 | Beginner Hobby and Amateur Photographers Of Tampa St Pete | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| MtG Modern Constructed at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Carrollwood Toastmasters Meetings meet In-Person and Online | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| [In-Person] Bitcoin Meetup in St.Pete | Tampa Bay Bitcoin | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Body Work Night- February 28th | Entrepreneur Social Club | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| MakerFX Monthly Membership Meeting | MakerFX Makerspace | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| IaC Deep Dive – Compliance and Platform Standards | Orlando DevOps | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| CitrusSec Meetup | Central Florida CitySec | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Workshop Wednesdays. Come Craft with Us. | Unlucky Roll Cafe Board Game Meetup | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Nerd Night: Board Games and Beer at Deadwords Brewing | Adventures On Tap: TTRPGs and Board Games | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| New Beginnings & Old Rivalries | Central Florida AD&D (1st ed.) Grognards Guild | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| How to Form Connections and Make Friends | Social Revival Event | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| How to Express Yourself and Connect with People | Professionals Meetup For Networking And Social Skillsets | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Communication – The Key to Connect | Make Contacts Meet People and Communicate | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Orlando Word Lab | Writers of Central Florida or Thereabouts | 7:00PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Cardfight Vanguard!! OverDress Weekly | Sunshine Games | 7:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Carollwood Professionals Networking Lunch! | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30PM – Wednesday, Feb. 28 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Thursday, February 29
On Thursday at noon, Women Who Code will host the online event, Breaking Tech Barriers: Candid Conversations with Depop Women Engineers! This event will feature women engineers from the London-based social e-commerce company Depop, who will will unravel the mysteries of the engineering realm, debunk common misconceptions, explore the balance between undervalued and overrated skills, and generously share the invaluable lessons they’ve acquired while navigating their growth trajectories in the tech industry. Find out more and register here.
On Thursday evening, Tampa Bay Data Engineering Group will host the online event, Predictions and Use Cases for GPTs and LLMs! Tanya Cashorali, founder and CEO of the boutique data and analytics consultancy TCB Analytics, will show how to best utilize GPTs and LLMs at your workplace. Find out more and register here.
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Commander Open Play Night at Armada Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 1:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Thursday Night Gaming | Brandon Boardgamers | 5:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Pathfinder Society | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Central Florida Board Gaming at The Collective | Orlando Board Gaming Weekly Meetup | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| One Piece Thursdays | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| FABulous Thursdays | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Thursday chess at 54th Ave Kava House! | TB Chess – Tampa Bay – St. Petersburg Chess Meetup Group | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament | Balance Martial Arts and Gaming | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Dungeons and Dragons with Donavan | Unlucky Roll Cafe Board Game Meetup | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| RSVP through SweatPals: Tampa Pickup Soccer Social | Miami Fitness & Wellness Events with SweatPals | 8:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| The Business Networking Midday Power Hour by Simply Referrals on Zoom!! | Simply Referrals Tampa Business Networking | 12:00PM – Tuesday, Feb. 27 |
| Business Over Breakfast ~ Happy Hangar IN PERSON JOIN US! | Wesley Chapel, Trinity, New Tampa, Business Professionals | 7:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Happy Hangar Early Bird Professionals Networking | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 7:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Happy Hangar Early Bird Professionals Networking | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 7:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Tampa Geek Breakfast | Emerging Tech Leaders Tampa Bay | 8:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| LUTZ, FL – HAPPY HANGER CAFE THURSDAY NETWORKING | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 8:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Tackle it in Ten – Entrepreneur Roundtables | Entrepreneur Round Table | 8:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Workshop – How To Hire Virtual Assistants for As Low As $7/hr | Tampa Small Business Owners – EVERYONE WELCOME | 11:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Clearwater Professional Networking Lunch | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| The Founders Meeting where it all Began! JOIN us! Bring a guest and get a gift | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Pinellas County’s Largest Networking Lunch and your invited! | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| 10 PowerShell tricks for Red team’s Recon | Orlando Cybersecurity Meetup | 11:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Clearwater/Central Pinellas Networking Lunch JOIN us and connect your business | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Pinellas County’s Largest Networking Lunch and your invited! | Tampa Bay Business Networking Happy Hour/Meetings/Meet Up | 11:00AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Wesley Chapel Professional Networking Lunch | Wesley Chapel, Trinity, New Tampa, Business Professionals | 11:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Lutz / Wesley Chapel Professional Networking Lunch at Bahama Breeze! | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Lutz / Wesley Chapel Professional Networking Lunch at Bahama Breeze! | Pasco County Young Entrepreneurs/Business Owners All Welcome | 11:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Breakroom Bar & Grill 11:28 Doors open at 11:00am IN Person | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| NPI Power Lunch – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals | Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) | 11:30AM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Creating Momentum in Your Sphere of Influence | Tech Success Network | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Breaking Tech Barriers: Candid Conversations with Depop Women Engineers | Women Who Code Tampa | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| MIDDAY COFFEE CONNECT – Business Networking | Business-2-Beers Networking Club | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Introducing Hyperledger Web3j: The Ethereum Integration Library for Enterprises | Hyperledger Tampa | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Creating Momentum in Your Sphere of Influence | Front End Creatives | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Creating Momentum in Your Sphere of Influence | Career Success Academy | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Sarasota Speakers Exchange Toastmasters | Toastmasters District 48 | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Telecom Park Toastmasters #6745 | Toastmasters District 48 | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Creating Momentum in Your Sphere of Influence | Tampa Cybersecurity Training | 12:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| RPG: Pathfinder Society at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Role-Playing Games (RPG) Group | 2:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Launch Event | FUEL Orlando User Group | 3:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Quantum Series Part 3: Utility Scale Quantum Computing | Data, Cloud and AI in Tampa | 3:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Gulfport Scrabble and Social | Gulfport Scrabblers and Social | 5:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| FCCP Weekly Photo Assignment 9: Water | Florida Center for Creative Photography | 5:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Tomb of Annihilation (T2-APL8) | Orlando Adventurer’s Guild | 5:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Predictions and Use Cases for GPTs and LLMs | Tampa Bay Data Engineering Group | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Taking Over Tech: Empowering Women in the Tech Industry | Pinellas Tech Network | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Google Local Service Ads Demystified | Tampa SEO & Internet Marketing Meetup with Steve Scott | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| 2nd ed. AD&D Campaign. | Brandon and Seffner area AD&D and OSR Group | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| AWS Security Posture Tool Deep Dive and Shootout | Orlando AWS User Group | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| BotC night at Hourglass Brewery at the Hourglass District | Sunshine Social Deduction Gaming | 6:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| February – Discussing “When Women Were Dragons” by Kelly Barnhill | Feminist Book Club – Tampa & St Pete | 6:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Pt. 3 Learning how to use Lightburn software | Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group | 6:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| OrlandoJS meetup | OrlandoJS | 6:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Writing Meetup | Tampa Free Writing Group | 6:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| The Taking @ Eckerd College | The Tampa Bay Movie Fans Meetup Group | 6:45PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Online Travel Photography Group with Our Photo Tribe | Our Photo Tribe Workshops | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| BABOK IIBA Tampa Bay Study Group | IIBA Tampa Bay | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Follow us on Social Media Platforms | Tampa Volunteers | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Operations Automation Office Hours | Tampa Robotic Process Automation Group | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| The MBA Tour: Spotlight on Black, Hispanic, and Native MBA’s | Network After Work Tampa – Networking Events | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Palm Harbor Toastmasters Club #8248 | Toastmasters District 48 | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| How websites are made: an introduction to CSS for complete beginners | Florida Software School | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Smartphone Trivia Game Show at Wilders Pizza | Game Night Meetup for Trivia in Tampa, Sarasota, Venice | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Live streaming production and talent | Live streaming production and talent | 7:00PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Pineapple Street – Jenny Jackson | St. Pete Booze and Book Club | 7:30PM – Thursday, Feb. 29 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Friday, March 1
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Improve your communication, listening, and leadership skills | Winter Park Toastmasters – Learn while having FUN! | 7:15AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Caffeine & Connections: Friday Fuel for Black Professionals | Pinellas County Black Business Meetup Group | 8:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| A.C.T. Acquire Connections Today Morning Business Networking All Welcome! | Entrepreneurs & Business Owners of Sarasota & Bradenton | 8:45AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Tampa Young Professionals Virtual Networking Friday Morning All WElCOME | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 8:45AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| A.C.T. Acquire Connections Today Morning Virtual Business Networking | Network & Social – Orlando Networking Events | 8:45AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Networking over breakfast | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 9:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Business over Breakfast Clearwater | Tampa Bay Networking Meetings and Mixers | 9:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| FBI ~ Friday Business Introductions at Largo Family Restaurant | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 9:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Online Networking with Brandon Biz Pros | Brandon Biz Pros | 9:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Toastmasters – Improve Speaking Skills & Build Confidence | Christian Professionals Network Tampa Bay | 9:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Ms. Biz Connectz- business leaders brainstorm together | Ms. Biz Connectz- business leaders brainstorming together | 10:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| International Networking at McAlisters Deli every Friday | Tampa Bay Business Networking Meetings & Mixers | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Friday International Business Introductions at McAlisters Westshore | Professional Business Networking with RGAnetwork.net | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Westshore Business Networking Lunch at McAlisters Deli Every Friday All Welcome | Tampa Bay Networking and Events | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| International Professionals Networking Meeting | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Friday Business Introductions Tampa | Tampa Bay Networking Meetings and Mixers | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| International Networking Westshore McAlisters Deli | Tampa Bay Business Networking Happy Hour/Meetings/Meet Up | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| International Networking at McAlisters Deli every Friday | Business Professionals of Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| International Networking at McAlisters Deli every Friday | Young Professionals Networking JOIN in and Connect! | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| International Professionals Networking Meeting | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| International Professionals Networking Meeting | Tampa / St Pete Business Connections | 11:30AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| WORKSHOP: Transform Your Business with Smart Bookkeeping! | Florida Small Business Owners | 12:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| WORKSHOP – Elevate Your Earnings: Strategic Bookkeeping Wins! | Tampa Small Business Owners – EVERYONE WELCOME | 12:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Pokémon Tournament Battles for a Prize! | Orlando Pokemon Tournament Meet up | 2:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| WEEKLY FRIDAY NIGHT GAMING AT GAMER’S COMMAND | Brandon Boardgamers | 5:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Board Game Night! | Clermont Nerd Games | 5:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! | Lake Mary Pokemon Meetup Group Lets Play | 5:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Friday Board Game Night | Tampa Gaming Guild | 5:30PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Taps & Drafts | Casual EDH/MtG Social Night | Nerd Night Out | 6:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Commander Night | Magic the Gathering Tampa/Brandon/St Pete | 6:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| MTG: Commander FNM | Critical Hit Games | 6:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Taps & Drafts | EDH/MtG Night | Centro Ybor | Nerdbrew Events | 7:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Modern FNM | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Friday Pokemon Tournament | Sunshine Games | 7:30PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Friday night game night | Indica Cafe Events | 9:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| St. Petersburg Grand Prix | The Art Of Photography – Tampa/St. Pete Chapter | 8:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| First Friday WordPress Collaboration Meetup – March 2024 | West Orlando WordPress Meetup | 10:00AM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| TBUX Virtual: Lunch Break Book Club | Tampa Bay UX Group | 12:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Board Game Friday Night at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Gaming Group | 5:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Our One-Year Anniversary Party! | Prose Society Writers Group | 6:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| First Friday social meetup! | Defcon727 – Unleashing Cybersecurity | 6:30PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Dune Part 2 (IMAX) | Geekocracy! | 6:45PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| King Coal @ Eckerd College | The Tampa Bay Movie Fans Meetup Group | 6:45PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| IN-PERSON: “Stoicism and the Art of Happiness” (Chapter 3) | Tampa Stoics | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Tsudoi | Tampa Japanese Meetup | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| MakerFX Makerspace Soft Arts Guild | MakerFX Makerspace | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Tabletop: Friday Board Game Night | Oviedo Middle Aged Gamers (OMAG) | 7:00PM – Friday, Mar. 1 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Saturday, March 2
The Tampa Bay Tech Twenties and Thirties meetup group is having their first meetup on Saturday, March 2! It will be a Tech Talk & Coffee Kickoff, featuring a meet-and-greet, group discussion, and networking and collaboration — and it’ll be at the Driftwood Cafe at the end of St. Pete Pier. Find out more and register here.
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Pokémon Tournament Battles for a Prize! | Orlando Pokemon Tournament Meet up | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! | Lake Mary Pokemon Meetup Group Lets Play | 5:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Wake Up and Think Clearly Saturday morning share and discuss. | Central Florida Philosophy Meetup | 7:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Early Bird Ocala | Toastmasters Division G | 8:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Saturday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa | Chess Republic | 9:30AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| FREE Fab Lab Orientation | Suncoast Makers | 1:30PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Y Read: Book Read Aloud | Library Book Clubs – OCLS | 1:30PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Social climbing of Mount Chesseverest | Climbers of Mount Chesseverest | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Meta Minds Meetup | Meta Minds Meetup Philosophy science and human experience | 4:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Community Hang-out Night | Nerdbrew Events | 6:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament | Sunshine Games | 7:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament | Balance Martial Arts and Gaming | 7:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Become an FCCP Supporter Plus & Access 100+ Hours of Educational Videos | Florida Center for Creative Photography | 7:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Creative business minds & coffee | Orlando Innovative Business Minds: Creative Strategy Meetup | 8:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Tech Talk & Coffee Kickoff: Connecting Tampa’s Young Tech Minds | Tampa Bay Tech Twenties & Thirties | 9:30AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Submission Lab | We Write Here Black and Women of Color Writing Group | 10:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Open Fly @ The Tower | Tampa Bay Drone Club | 10:30AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Retro Computer Meetup ! | Tampa Hackerspace | 11:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Midjourney Basics: Intro & FAQ with A.I. Creative Compass! | Midjourney A.I. Art Meetup Group | 11:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Navigating Success: Customer Journey tools & techniques Workshop | Entrepreneur’s Guild: Growing Your Business | 11:00AM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| March – N. Pinellas Book Club | Tampa Bay Coalition of Reason – disbanded | 12:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Campaign with Ray at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Role-Playing Games (RPG) Group | 12:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Ewok Bento Box | Gen Geek | 12:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| 5 resources I am using to rapidly scale my Amazon sales | Tampa Amazon Seller Meetup Group | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| NNO Book Club: Kaikeyi | Nerd Night Out | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Earning Your Living by Living Your Dream Preview | New Entrepreneurship Connections | 1:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Star Wars Unlimited Prerelease | Critical Hit Games | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Game Day: First Saturday of Every Month | Indienomicon | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| The Wager Book Discussion | Tampa Bookworms | 2:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Foxtail Coffee Altamonte Springs | Information Technology Orlando Group | 3:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Outside the Binary Boardgame Meetup at Critical Hit Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 3:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| IN-PERSON: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Book 10) | Orlando Stoics | 5:00PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Lost Mines of Phandelver: Session 5 – DM Mike | Orlando Adventurer’s Guild | 5:30PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Golf Group – RPG One-Shots | Oviedo Middle Aged Gamers (OMAG) | 6:30PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Razing Liberty Square @ Eckerd College | The Tampa Bay Movie Fans Meetup Group | 6:45PM – Saturday, Mar. 2 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
Sunday, March 3
| Event name and locale | Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lets Play Pokemon! GO | Lets Play Pokemon Go Red Team | 7:00AM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Pokémon Tournament Battles for a Prize! | Orlando Pokemon Tournament Meet up | 2:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Lets Play Pokemon! | Lake Mary Pokemon Meetup Group Lets Play | 5:00PM – Friday, Feb. 23 |
| Warhammer 40K | Clermont Nerd Games | 11:00AM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Thaliondor Practice Day! | Thaliondor: Fantasy and Medieval Combat | 11:00AM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Board Games at Big Storm in Odessa | Beyond Catan, A Group of Board Game Geeks | 12:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Venice Strategy Board Gamers | Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton | 12:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Sunday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa | Chess Republic | 2:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| D&D Adventurers League at Critical Hit Games | Tampa Bay Gaming: RPG’s, Board Games & more! | 2:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| D&D Adventurers League | Critical Hit Games | 2:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Sunday Pokemon League | Sunshine Games | 4:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Sunday Game Day | Drunk’n Meeples West Pasco (Boardgames) | 4:30PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Lankhmar: City of Adventure | Brandon and Seffner area AD&D and OSR Group | 5:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Gospel Karaoke and Bible Study | Indica Cafe Events | 6:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Open Game Night | Unlucky Roll Cafe Board Game Meetup | 6:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| A Duck Presents NB Movie Night | Nerd Night Out | 7:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| Hidden Gems Night, Presented by A Duck! | Nerdbrew Events | 7:00PM – Sunday, Feb. 25 |
| SIGN UP NOW to Serve meals to the hungry at Trinity Cafe (new location) | ► Tampa Bay Young Professionals Group | 8:20AM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| IHOP Restaurant CRITICAL THINKERS SUNDAY BRUNCH | Suncoast Critical Thinking Discussion Group | 9:00AM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Plotter CriCut vinyl cutting | Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group | 12:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| RPG: Twilight 2000 – a Post WWIII Survival RPG at Meeple Movers Board Game Cafe | Meeple Movers Role-Playing Games (RPG) Group | 12:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Steel MIG Welding Safety and Basic Usage (Members Only) | Tampa Hackerspace | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Sunday Gaming | Tampa Gaming Guild | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| February Book Club | One Fantasy At A Time | 1:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| T-Shirts and Caps printing | Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group | 2:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Winter Park Chess Meetup | Winter Park Social Chess Club | 2:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Dune 2 | Gen Geek | 2:45PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| St. Pete Arthouse Cinema Club- “2024 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Documentary” | St. Pete Arthouse Cinema Club | 3:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Adult Game Night at Conworlds Emporium | Tarpon Springs Pop Culture & Gaming Meetup | 4:00PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Continuing adventures in the setting of Symbaroum. | St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group | 5:15PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Sew Awesome! (Textile Arts & Crafts) | Tampa Hackerspace | 5:30PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| IN-PERSON: A Walking Meditation – Causeway Trail | Tampa Stoics | 5:30PM – Sunday, Mar. 3 |
| Return to the top of the list | ||
About this list
How do I put this list together? It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.
In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.
What goes into this list? I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:
- Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
- Tech project management / agile processes
- Video, board, and role-playing games
- Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
- Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
- Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
- Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
- Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
- Anything I deem geeky
Tampa Devs are holding the BayHacks 2024 hackathon on the USF campus this Saturday and Sunday, and they’re handing out cash prizes to the winners! If you craft code, design web pages, come up with user interfaces, make graphics, manage projects, or come up with ideas — or any combination of these — this is the event for you!
There’s a FAQ for the event, but you can also read the highlights below.
What’s a hackathon?
A hackathon is a competitive event where people with a technology bent — typically developers, designers, and other tech enthusiasts — form teams that work to build a software prototype (which can also include some hardware) that solves a problem or accomplishes a goal within a limited amount of time (typically ranging from a few hours to a couple of days).
Think of it as a pressure cooker of skill and creativity, where teams of participants brainstorm, code, design, test, and refine their creations in a race against the clock — and other teams! Collaboration and innovation are key, as participants huddle around laptops, sketch pads, and whiteboards, exchanging ideas, troubleshooting, and iterating rapidly to refine their solutions. Mentors and industry experts are often available to provide guidance and feedback, adding another layer of learning and networking to the experience. At the end of the event, teams present their projects to a panel of judges or the entire audience, showcasing their ingenuity, technical prowess, and presentation and problem-solving skills.
To use the words of the organizers, Tampa Devs, “It’s one part party, one part work-your-butt-off overnight battle against the clock and the competition.”
What will participants be building at BayHacks 2024?
This hackathon doesn’t have a theme, so participants can build any kind of software/hardware project they want.
However, they don’t have a lot of time to build. Building time starts at 12 noon on Saturday and stops at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, followed by project presentations, judging, and the awarding of prizes.
Do I have to participate, or can I just be a spectator?
Space is limited, so there isn’t room for spectators. If you attend, you must participate in a project!
Where will BayHacks 2024 take place?
It’ll take place in Discovery Hall, USF Research Park, USF.
Since you mentioned times, what’s the schedule?
Saturday, February 24th
| Time | What’s happening |
| 10:00 a.m. | Participant check-in / networking |
| 10:30 a.m. | Opening ceremonies, explanation of format, and other announcements |
| 11:00 a.m. | Team formation |
| 11:30 a.m. | Pitching proposals |
| 12:00 p.m. | The work begins! |
| 5:00 p.m. | You don’t have to stop, but you have to exit the venue. |
Sunday, February 25th
| Time | What”s happening |
| 10:00 a.m. | Participant check-in |
| 10:30 a.m. | The work continues! |
| 2:00 p.m. | Teams present their projects |
| 3:00 p.m. | Judging and the awarding of prizes |
| 5:00 p.m. | End of the event |
Did you mention prizes?
Yes, there are prizes. Cash prizes, in fact…
| Place | Cash prize amount |
| 1st | $750 |
| 2nd | $500 |
| 3rd | $250 |
How are projects judged?
They’ll be judged on the following criteria:
- Quality and innovative nature of the idea / demo
- Utility of the idea / demo
- UI / UX design
Who are the judges?
They’re prominent members of the Tampa Bay tech community held in high esteem. You may recognize one of them:
That’s right, I’m a judge. So impress me!
How do you register for BayHacks 2024?
Register for BayHacks 2024 at the BayHacks 2024 Eventbrite page. It costs $10 to register, but that $10 helps cover the costs of running the hackathon and also gets you the official T-shirt, swag bag, andSpa a single entry into the pre-event raffle for a pair of Tampa Bay Lightning tickets.
I’m in Austin this week to deliver a talk at the Civo Navigate North America conference — so posting might be a little light this week. But here’s part 12 of the “Laid Off in 2024” series!
Lessons from The Martian
If you like sci-fi and are looking for inspiration as you make your way through the process of finding your next gig after being laid off, I recommend the audiobook version of The Martian, the book by Andy Weir that became the film of the same name starring Matt Damon.
While the film gave us STEM majors a memorable line that we’ll quote forever — “I’m gonna have to science the shit out of this” — the book tells a deeper story of perseverance, problem-solving, and perspicacity that is nothing short of inspiring.
I’m not exaggerating about the “inspiring” bit either. Whenever I’m working on a tough problem and I can’t figure out a solution, I put the audiobook version of The Martian on and put it on in the background. Listening to how stranded Mars astronaut Mark Watney assess the situation he’s in and uses his knowledge and the materials on hand to survive for 531 sols (those are Martian days, the equivalent of 546 days on Earth) has somehow helped me to:
- Relearn enough JavaScript and learn enough React to build a little web application that assembled a report for a telecom cost-optimization review, which a major tech vendor sold as part of their suite of services.
- Build the Python script that generates the weekly list of Tampa Bay tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events. It’s no simple assignment, as it must counter Meetup.com’s anti-scraping countermeasures.
- Write Augmented Reality in Android with Google’s Face API, my first Android programming article for RayWenderlich.com (now Kodeco), despite not ever having built an Android app or used Google’s API for detecting and tracking facial features.
- Pass my “audition” for Auth0 (now owned by Okta), where I had to write an application using tech I’d never used before (Auth0 and Spring Boot) and an article about that application.
If you find yourself feeling stuck, read The Martian or give the audiobook version a listen! As a treat, here’s the audiobook version, as uploaded to YouTube by a soul who doesn’t fear the copyright cops:
Peter Wheeler’s take on nondisparagement clauses
I know Peter Wheeler from my time at Auth0/Okta, where we met through initiatives where Auth0 would help out nonprofit organizations. He’s a sweet, solid guy, and he’s so willing to help out that if I had to assemble a crack team of a dozen people to save the world, he’d be one of the first people I’d call.
Peter gave me the idea to include something nice for the team that would have to deal with the company laptop when I shipped it back to them. That team also experienced, and they probably were feeling disheartened by the layoffs and having to process the laid-off people’s gear. I tell the whole story in an earlier post, The Box Came Back the Very Next Day.
In response to another post of mine, The Dreaded Non-Disparagement Clause, Peter posted a response on LinkedIn which bears repeating here:
The reality is – if you’ve got the time and energy to be talking about anything, it should be about what’s next and who you are. Not dramatically rehashing the past. Even in venting.
And with layoffs, who cares? There are thousands of colloquialisms and parables to answer any question that might be posed about your time and your relationship with the organization. “One door closes, another opens.” “Gave me time to pursue….” “Helped me see…”
My favorite, ever, and that I’ve adopted for myself when leaving roles and organizations – that came from someone I was hiring who was pursuing a title and duties drop –
“I exhausted the ways I could positively contribute”
That goes into so much, so easily, without saying anything. Lack of culture alignment. Role no longer what you signed up for. Team issues.
Feel compelled to be honest? “At this point in my career I’m looking for an organization and role that ‘positive statements’…” > “well I know what I don’t want to go through again”
Same thing. Different vibe you personally put off. And different risk in this case.
“Would you work there again?”
Is a very different question than
“Would you go back to working there?”One is quantum unrestricted :)
Rambling. Bye
He also linked to this classic from the great jazz keyboardist Fats Waller that summarizes the definitive answer to the non-disparagement clause question: You Run Your Mouth, I’ll Run My Business…
Advice from the global financial crisis of 2008 (and Douglas Rushkoff)
This is the stuff I packed at the office after my first layoff.
Here’s the original article from October 7, 2008.
Way back in October 2008 (this blog goes back to August 2006), I was laid off for the first time. I made the announcement in a post called This Gun’s for Hire…
…and wrote my first-ever series of articles on being laid off, Terminated, starting with The Very First Things You Should Do When Laid Off:
In a follow-up article titled How I’ll Ride Out the Layoff and the Credit Crunch: Friends, I cited technology, media and pop culture writer Douglas Rushkoff, whose essay, Riding Out the Credit Collapse, had a suggestion for riding out the global financial crisis going on at the time. It’s equally applicable to the Great Layoff going on right now:
Whatever the case, the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your interests is to make friends. The more we are willing to do for each other on our own terms and for compensation that doesn’t necessarily involve the until-recently-almighty dollar, the less vulnerable we are to the movements of markets that, quite frankly, have nothing to do with us.
If you’re sourcing your garlic from your neighbor over the hill instead of the Big Ag conglomerate over the ocean, then shifts in the exchange rate won’t matter much. If you’re using a local currency to pay your mechanic to adjust your brakes, or your chiropractor to adjust your back, then a global liquidity crisis won’t affect your ability to pay for either. If you move to a place because you’re looking for smart people instead of a smart real estate investment, you’re less likely to be suckered by high costs of a “hot” city or neighborhood, and more likely to find the kinds of people willing to serve as a social network, if for no other reason than they’re less busy servicing their mortgages.
I’ve internalized Rushkoff’s idea, which is why I do a lot of community-building stuff wherever I call home, whether it was in Toronto (this blog is effectively a record of all that work) or in my home for the last ten years, Tampa.
When you read Rushkoff’s fanciful idea of printing your own “local currency,” replace that phrase with “social currency.”
While you may want to work on your technical skills to land your next gig, you may also want to work on things like building a network of friends and acquaintances and building goodwill in tech circles. I’ve found that these are just as valuable as any algorithm, data structure, programming language, or framework that I’ve learned.
Also in this series…
- Laid off in 2024, part 1: The 15 worst minutes of 2024, followed by 15 more
- Laid off in 2024, part 2: First referrals and blue dragons
- Laid off in 2024, part 3: How are you doing?
- Laid off in 2024, part 4: Make the Year of the Blue Dragon YOUR year!
- Laid off in 2024, part 5: The next two weeks
- Laid off in 2024, part 6: The separation agreement / Money, money, money
- Laid off in 2024, part 7: Join me on “Surviving a Layoff” this Wednesday!
- Laid off in 2024, part 8: Step one — get a box…
- Laid off in 2024, part 9: The box came back, the very next day…
- Laid off in 2024, part 10: Unearned consequences
- Laid off in 2024, part 11: The dreaded non-disparagement clause