Minnebar 2025 was for nerds

And I, being a nerd, had a pretty good time. I’ve known about Minnebar’s existence since I was a wee lad working at a startup over 10 years ago, but I’ve never had a real opportunity to go. To be honest, I never knew terribly much about it all until this year because this time, it was personal: my brother managed to secure a time slot to give a talk on edge system architecture (something I also knew nothing about), so I just had to get my tickets.

Of course, with my brother's feelings on the line, I was right on time to be one of the first to procure my free ticket to the event. If you know me in real life, you will not be surprised to hear, however, that I showed up to the actual event about 5 hours after it started, shortly before the talk on edge architecture I was so keen on seeing. Therefore, I didn't spend the entire day going to sessions and learning interesting things from smarter people than I - only half of it. And while I found the sessions I did attend to be invigorating and thought provoking, I don't think anyone who wasn't there would care for my parboiled recollection on those topics.

No, instead I think I will share with you all a feeling on this tech blog because it's my blog and I think people need to ponder this:

When is the last time you truly felt community with your industry?

I don't mean having pallid Teams calls with your department or chatting with Luthiel from Accounting in the 12th floor kitchenette in your office, either. Is Luthiel even a real human name? I don't know, I've worked from home exclusively since March 2020. The walls may be closing in on me, but I can assure you this is not a "return to the office" blog - everyone has their own work preference, and I believe that should generally be accommodated since doing so leads to happier, more productive people.

If you've felt what I've felt recently, being in tech in 2025 can be a little scary at times, and you can really end up feeling alone in that fear. Sure, there's an endlessly expanding pool of content out there (sorry) to fit every whim and opinion, but treading those waters rarely creates energy or positivity. At least, not in any way that carries you, uplifts your spirits, or makes you feel connected. I have every inclination that this article will be no different, either. I can't re-ignite your love for technology or your job. I can't surgically replace the withered, black lump of tissue in your abdomen where your passion once was through a blog post.

What I want to do is move you to action. If a mottled, toothless pirate in the town tavern handed you a map and said, "here there lie treasure, yar" before staggering out the front door and disappearing into the fog, you'd have to at least give it a try, right? Let me be your scurvied seadog today:

You know what I felt at Minnebar? I felt the same thing I have felt at every Nextstep, ONE, and OutSystems Developer conference, and every local meetup group, and every time I've sat with an industry peer for a drink because they reached out on LinkedIn.

I felt the vibrancy that comes from passion come roaring back. I felt the energy that comes from community pervade my being. I felt joy experiencing and chattering about technology with other nerds. Nobody had to get paid to be there. Everyone there was there because they wanted to be.

So, here's what I want you to do:

GO.

I don't mean to Minnebar, you have almost a year before that happens again. Go anywhere you can find a community of likeminded weirdos and hang out with them. Look around, I am positive there's an upcoming tech conference in your city which is likely cheap or even free - if you can get your company to pay for you to go to re:Invent, you should, but happiness shouldn't be paywalled.

If a whole tech conference feels overwhelming, or perhaps there really isn't one coming up near you, that's fine! Head on over to Meetup or eventbrite and just search for whatever it is you do or are interested in. You'd be surprised how many people are meeting up routinely already, just to gab about something they're passionate about over food or drink.

Personally, I have found that there isn't a lot going on in Minneapolis that's explicitly set in the low-code space, and since you guys comprise a lot of my readership it is possible that you might find the same. But don't despair! Just head on over to LinkedIn, search for whatever it is you're looking for ("OutSystems" in my case), and click "all filters" to add a geographic filter to your search. Boom! All the people in your area that your search term has something to do with. I think you'll be surprised how willing people are to meet up and talk shop over a crisp IPA.

We're even thinking of starting up our own local tech meetup group, something I also encourage you to do if you feel so inclined! Even if you're outside of major metropolitan areas, it can't hurt to look. Maybe you can even find a digital meetup group!

The most important thing is to just go. It may be scary, but I promise if you go out there with an open mind and willing heart, you only stand to benefit. Now is a more important time than ever for tech people to stand together in community, and that starts with you.

P.S. Are you in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and interested in participating in a routine tech meetup? If so, sign up and leave a comment below (it's free!) or add me on LinkedIn and leave me a message! I want to know what would make you want to go.