[chiPHPug-discuss] PHPTEK Conference questions

[Roderick T. <tho...@ms...>]

Hey everybody,

I'm sure some of you remember me.  Around this time last year I was  
constantly requesting help with scripting issues and I attend several  
meeting on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

I'm considering attending the upcoming conference, but I'm concerned that  
I may not receive any real benefits from doing so.  And the fact that the  
cost is expensive for my budget doesn't help matters.  I really appreciate  
all of the help that I've gotten from you folks, but I've often felt like  
my questions have been annoying.  And most times when I receive helpful  
scripts in response to my question, I don't know how they should be  
structured with the rest of my script.  Please don't take this the wrong  
way, but I've actually gotten headaches at some of the UserGroup meetings  
as a result of the discussions being so far out of my conceptual grasp.  
But it's not just you.  I've gotten booted from online UserGroups for  
creating so much tension by asking questions that greatly annoyed many of  
the other members.  And I've done the same thing with this group also.   
Thank goodness you guys were kind enough to let me stay on the list  
anyway. I have a true passion for dynamic scripting, but my quest has been  
extremely frustrating.

So please, be brutally honest...
Do you think it's a good idea for me to attend the conference? Below is a  
message that I sent to PHPTEK--asking the same question.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm hardly a programmer, at all.  However, I'm fascinated with PHP and all  
that dynamic scripting entails.  I have developed a web-based application  
that stores and displays contact information for my department's  
affiliated agencies.  While my application is very basic and poorly built  
as compared to the big scheme of PHP, my department and close friends  
think the world of it (I'm the most technical person they interact with on  
a personal level).

I would desperately like to enhance my programming skills and make better  
use of PHP, but it's been my experience that PHP user groups discussions  
have been over my head.  And when more advanced programmers take time to  
talk with me, they tend to spend more time criticizing my structure than  
sharing coding pointers with me.  It seems that the more I ask for  
clarification, the more I annoy my mentors.  I don't like irritating them  
by asking questions that they consider redundant, but I also find it  
frustrating to sit through lengthy talks that I'm unable to connect with.   
I would hate to have that sort of an experience at a conference that I've  
paid over $1,000 to attend.

Your conference is very expensive for my budget.  However, I think it  
could be well worth the sacrifice if it helps to improve my programming  
skills.  Will the conference provide a comfortable environment for novice  
programmers?  Am I at a good place to benefit from the Add-On Tutorial  
sessions?