[Debconf-team] Job fair timing and sponsorship criteria

[Jimmy Kaplowitz <jimmy@debian.org>]

Hi DebConf team,

Richard Hartmann suggested that I give these thoughts here, so here they are.
I'm going to avoid commenting on my own situation in this public mail, focusing
on the general question. To the extent that I'm impacted, I can find a solution
more easily than many.

The job fair is currently scheduled for the main DebConf arrival day. Most
people coming from the Americas will have taken a transatlantic flight and
arrive quite jetlagged and low on sleep the same morning. Given the importance
of clear thought and positive first impressions when seeking jobs, people would
reasonably benefit from a bit of rest.

Therefore, any DebConf job seekers from the Western Hemisphere who realize this
(admittedly not many) might want to arrive at least a day before the fair, i.e.
the last day of DebCamp. Sponsored attendees may not otherwise have a reason to
qualify for the one night of DebCamp sponsorship, and the poorer sponsored
attendees may not be able to afford to pay for it.

I'd suggest moving the job fair to the day after the arrival day, which makes
this issue irrelevant, and considering transoceanic jetlag & travel fatigue in
scheduling job fairs for future DebConfs. (DebConf16 will be a long flight even
for many in nearby longitudes.) If the job fair stays on the arrival day, I'd
suggest considering this as a valid sponsorship reason for the final night of
DebCamp15 for transoceanic attendees.

Thanks so much for scheduling a job fair, though! It's a great idea.

- Jimmy Kaplowitz
jimmy@debian.org