The Benefits of Speaking at Tech Conferences

Agree in general that speaking is good for your career and developing your presentation mojo. As is writing/blogging. But watch out for the food and alcohol. I gained 50 pounds on the speaking circuit.

That said there is a value disconnect in being a speaker. The conference organizer gets tons of content to fill its agenda and typically pays the speakers in "exposure." Figure out when you should transition to being a paid speaker. Until COVID that was my primary source of income. If you are a big name author you can command $20K+. Experts tend to get anywhere from $6k to $15K. Travel, including a car to pick you up at the airport, is usually included.