Linda:
All good suggestions. I have also found that after attending that the
employee should write and CC - everyone on the team - a review of the
days attended (and sessions). highlighting any thing that might be of
use that you learned.
Yes its a PITA but it shows that the sessions are well worth the $$
to attend. In the far distant past I myself paid the expenses to go
to SHARE. Of course I had 4 weeks of vacation at the time and didn't
miss the time off (I got paid for it). In the more recent past I paid
for attendance when it was in Chicago. No travel and the employer
paid for the days in attendance. Of course the bad experience I had
at SCIDS sort of put me off at SHARE, but I made up for it with some
friends that I met up with at SHARE. Also in the last say 35 years +-
I got a lot with hanging out with IBM and not asking questions (other
than what drink did you order). I was lucky as my former SE was at
the WSC and he used to let me in on the gossip there nothing dirty
just fun stuff, like the drunk naked boat water ski that occurred one
summer. Also the IBM rep to our group was retiring and he would let
us have insight (which he probably shouldn't have done as to as to
why requirements were rejected) We just reworded them and resubmitted
them. IBM did not like our group at all as we pounded them with
requirements.
Of the two groups I still prefer GUIDE.
BTW SHARE was the only group that perfected the brush off, GUIDE, all
were welcome. SHARE's web site it works a few times a year and I just
quit using it. SHARE should fire who is ever maintaining the site.
Ed