OPINION
Love/Hate
Relationship with Professional Conferences
By Terry Calhoun
I’ve turned into something of a homebody in my late
50s. My wife and I are now quite familiar with the buildup
of stress I experience every time I am about to travel for
business. Often, even at a really great conference, I start
thinking about the possibility of taking a standby flight
and maybe getting home a day earlier than planned.
But I don’t usually give in to that temptation. The
angst I feel prior to leaving is replaced by deep satisfaction
once I get home and have had a little time to catalogue the
experiences I had and the people I met. At many institutions,
the fearsome budget cuts of 2003 are deep enough in the past
that permission to travel is easier to obtain. So I urge you
to find a conference you might enjoy and go to it!
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