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I’m really grateful for the jobs I’ve had over to the years. Kicking things off with a role as a music journalist, I was buzzing every single time I got an assignment. Writing about new music was fun and that, but it was nothing like the field trips. It could be something going to an award show, attending the launch of Lord of the Mics 3 or interviewing Ed Sheeran.

One that really impacted me heavily was when a now 1Xtra DJ sent me to attend a Kings Cross music conference for artists, managers and professionals within the industry. I remember checking out tickets and they were expensive. It was something like £200 for this two-day event, where we would watch talks, network and hear ideas about the future of music. This was early 2011, so streaming was a hot topic, there was hype about Odd Future, and alternative monetisation methods were being sought by everyone.

I met great people there: Mystro, Dukus, Zuby, and a bag of others that were all navigating the industry in their unique ways, and had invested big to seek guidance/inspiration/resources to take themselves to the next stage in their careers.

I was a yout man. Still a teenager. Still no real direction with my future. I was just into music, and it was interesting to get an insight to the other side. Fast forward a year and a bit, and I was at a digital marketing agency. I’d moved on from music. There were just three of us. I never met the clients myself. I just did what needed to be done. After a few months, a content marketing conference came up and they wanted me there.

It blew my mind.

I had just been doing SEO copywriting up to this point. I had no idea about the rest of it; video, infographics, slideshows, how creative social media could actually be. The work I’d been doing was a little cog in this game. I was just in the dark about all of the rest. I got absolutely enlightened by the experience, and it made me understand where I fit within it all.

I finally had context. It made it easier once I went to brightonSEO a little later, and ticked off a few more conferences off my list. As I’ve gone into ecommerce, I’ve done the same. Affiliate marketing, more. Blogging, yet again. In every industry, there’s some sort of network of participants, and there are events that go along with it. I’ve yet to go to one that hasn’t inspired me to go about things in new ways. Conferences are where it’s at.

What’s better – loads are free. If there’s a free one near you, about something that will benefit you, go. If it’s cheap, go. If you know it’s going to benefit you, pay whatever it costs and get down there. Someone you meet, a case study you hear about, or a thought about the future of your industry will spark plan to take you to the next level. How can you afford to miss it?