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+---
+author: Communications Team
+category: General
+published_datetime: 2025-04-28 06:00:00
+cover:
+    url: /assets/img/2025/54089577525_de6f9bcb72_w.jpg
+    alt: ""
+title: "Opinion: Your Talk at DjangoCon US Will Be Your ‘Steve Jobs’ Moment"
+---
+
+
+Opinion: Your Talk at DjangoCon US Will Be Your ‘Steve Jobs’ Moment.
+
+During the MacWorld keynote in 2007, Steve Jobs—dressed in a black turtleneck, slightly faded jeans, and your dad's old running shoes—boldly proclaimed, "Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything." If you were watching live in 2007, you would have been on the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting the reveal of this revolutionary product. As we know now, he was about to unveil the first iPhone, which indeed proved to be a groundbreaking innovation. 
+
+Now hear me out: what if I told you that in 18 years, people might watch the video of your DjangoCon US 2025 presentation, remark on your terrific outfit and revere how you changed the landscape of technology? You don't need a black turtleneck or a groundbreaking device in your pocket to have your own Steve Jobs moment. All you need is your idea, a legendary clothing set, and the courage to share it.
+
+You might be thinking, "Do people really want to hear me talk about that?" The answer is yes, we absolutely do! How else will we learn about the quirky side project you work on during weekends that only you and ChatGPT know about? Or how your small-town development team scaled with open source, how great you are at documentation, or how you can demystify Django's most complex under-the-hood features? When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, he wasn't just launching a phone; he was telling a story. He made the technology feel human and demonstrated that complex ideas can be beautifully simple. In other words, your talk might be the one that makes someone in the audience think, "Whoa, I get it!"
+
+At this point, you might be warming up to submitting your talk, but perhaps your lack of speaking experience is giving you cold feet. Great news—some fantastic community members have volunteered to be speaker mentors. A mentor is an experienced presenter who has offered to help other speakers. This support is especially beneficial for first-time presenters, non-native English speakers, under-confident or uncertain speakers, or anyone who would appreciate an extra set of eyes. 
+
+Don't worry about travel costs either; DjangoCon US speakers can receive up to $500 in travel and accommodation reimbursement. We want to hear your submission, whether it's technical, funny, inspiring, or a mix of it all—the world (or at least everyone in the conference room at the Voco Chicago Downtown) is ready to listen. Remember, nobody expects perfection—just passion.
+
+The deadline to submit your proposal is May 4th, 2025. We look forward to seeing you in Chicago!