It's been a long time since I've published a blog post, and a lot has happened in the absence. Most notably is the launch of Primetime Retirement's quote portal, and integration of that quote portal with Avelo, a leading product comparison service in the Financial Services industry.
I've learnt a tonne of new techniques and APIs in the last few months; the majority of which I had never experienced before. Although in the past I've worked with services returning XML (a funky communication standard with lots of < > everywhere, for those not in the web industry) I've never had to build a service that returned the XML, itself.
I love taking on projects where there's something new and exciting to get your head around. Yes, it's a challenge, but deep-down, I'm a problem solver. My Nan (still) hates the fact I whoop her at proper Solitaire (with the wooden board & marbles).
Challenges are there to be solved, right?
Which leads me on to my next challenge I would like to conquer; talking. Those that know me will know I certainly don't have a problem talking or chatting about goodness-knows-what, but I've never spoken in front of a group before. In two weeks time, I've been given the opportunity to talk for 10 minutes at the conference I'm attending and I would love to give it a go. Yeah, I'm nervous and quaking in my boots, but I'm sure I'm not the only one!
So, my question to you is what do you think I should talk about?
This question is only really relevant for those in the Financial Services industry that I've connected with, but I'm struggling for ideas on what to base my talk on. Given that the majority of you have spoken, or dealt with me in the past, what do you think others at the IFP conference would benefit from or enjoy a talk on?
Please post any ideas you have in the comments. I'll take some inspiration from your suggestions and put together what I hope to be a top "First Talk" ever. :)