A fresher’s guide to DevRel

Today marks the first anniversary of my DevRel life a.k.a I’m no longer a fresher. By popular demand, here’s an article explaining what it takes to be in DevRel right at the start of your career and the work that it involves.

Just a heads-up: everything I’ve shared in this article is straight from my own experiences. It’s not an official stance or view of any of the places I’ve worked at before or where I’m at now. Just me talking!

I come from India where we use the word ‘fresher’ for someone who’s just wrapped up their studies and hasn’t worked yet. Well, guess what? My ‘fresher’ days are officially over now! It’s kind of a bummer that, like a bunch of other stuff, my fresher phase is done and dusted. Man, I’m already feeling old!

I landed my first job as a Developer Evangelist way, way far from home — we’re talking thousands of miles! Even though I had six other job offers back in my hometown, I chose to jet off to a whole different continent. Why? Because that was the only offer that had me diving into DevRel, and I just couldn’t say no to that.

DevRel, short for Developer Relations, is like the hot ticket in town right now. To anyone scrolling through a DevRel pro’s Twitter feed, it looks like the dream job. Over the past year, I’ve had at least a hundred people hit me up, all curious about what this role really involves and how they can get in on the action.

There’s been a ton of talk about Developer Relations and its importance to companies that deal with developers. But you know what? I’ve never bumped into anyone who kicked off their career in DevRel. So, here I am, ready to throw in my two cents as a newbie who’s no longer a fresher. This post is for anyone who’s in a company without a DevRel department and might be scratching their head over what this role is all about, and how it varies across different companies. It’s also a shout-out to those who are eyeing a spot in DevRel, maybe ‘just because’ it sounds cool and fun.

Usually, a Developer Relations department is made up of roles like Community Manager, Tech Author, Developer Evangelist, and Developer Advocate. Sometimes, you’ll even find Growth Hackers and Marketers in the mix. The main goal? To create solid, positive relationships with Developers — they’re the main audience for companies that are all about serving developers. Like Ably, for instance, where I’m working as a Developer Advocate right now.

For these relationships to be positive, the developers using the company’s products have to be happy. And what makes developers happy? Things like super clear product documentation, a website that’s a breeze to use, customer support that actually gets back to you, smooth onboarding, tutorials that don’t make your head spin, and fun events or contests. Basically, anything that makes their lives easier. That’s where the DevRel team zeroes in — making all that stuff happen.

Depending on how big the tech company is, what it makes, or what its focus is, the goals for a Developer Evangelist or Advocate can differ. By the way, did you know these two titles actually mean the same thing? Check out this cool article my current manager wrote last year to get the lowdown. I’ll be flipping between the two terms in this article.

• At a big global company, one of the key things a Developer Evangelist does is jet-set to events all over the planet. Their mission? To spread the tech wisdom far and wide, while also giving a shout-out to the fact that they’re repping XYZ company. Plus, sometimes they’re the go-to person for getting new devs in the company up to speed, making sure everyone’s on the same page.
• In a tech startup, the job of a Developer Evangelist is all about roping in as many developer users as they can for the product. But it’s not just about getting new folks in the door; it’s also super important to take care of the existing users. They’ve got to make sure these devs have all they need to really get the product, use it to its fullest, and love it.
• At a mid-sized tech company, the role of a Developer Evangelist isn’t just about hitting up tech events. It’s also a lot about cooking up strategies right there in-house. They’re thinking about ways to not only draw in developer customers but also keep them around, making sure they’re happy and engaged with what the company has to offer.

While DevRel might look different depending on where you are, the big idea is always the same: it’s all about sharing knowledge. Whether we’re talking programming languages, software engineering ins and outs, or the techy bits of what the company’s cooking up, that’s what the DevRel team is there for. It’s their jam to spread the word on all this cool stuff.

To me, a Developer Evangelist should have the skill to transform an advanced-level conference presentation into content that is accessible and engaging for beginners, while still preserving the technical depth of the original material. Therefore, I firmly believe that all materials produced by a Developer Evangelist ought to include introductory sections on the subject, or at least provide links to simpler resources. This approach ensures that even developers who are new to the field can grasp and appreciate more advanced concepts.

Dev experience in DevRel

It’s a well-known fact that some of the sharpest folks out there, the ones cracking the toughest problems, aren’t always up for chatting about their work. Sometimes, they’d rather not spend their time explaining stuff — they’re way more into the thrill of solving the puzzles themselves.

So, there’s this big gap between the people who make tech and the ones who use it. And that’s exactly where a DevRel team steps in — they’re all about bridging that gap.

Like I said earlier, my first real gig has been in DevRel. Sure, I did a bunch of hobby projects in college and interned with startups launching their tech, but I never had a full-time dev role at a company. Sometimes, I scroll through Twitter, see all the cool stuff people are doing, and think, “Wow, there’s so much out there I don’t know!” But you know what? I’ve heard from plenty of folks — and I’m talking a lot of people here that they feel the same way. We’re all in this boat together, figuring stuff out as we go.

Every day, there’s some unbelievably cool tech being cranked out. It’s evolving so fast that no one person can keep up with all of it. That’s why it’s pretty normal for someone to be a whiz in one area but only know bits and pieces of another. But as someone on the outside looking in, you’re seeing this awesome mix of stuff from all kinds of experts rolled into one. It can totally make you feel like you’re the only one not in the know about everything.

Every time I see a post on Twitter, it kind of lights a fire under me to learn something new. If it catches my interest, I’ll dive deep into it, do my homework, mess around with it until I really get it. Once I’m there, I feel this urge to break it down for others, make it super simple, so they don’t have to burn as much time or wade through a sea of info to get it. Honestly, I just love making those connections easier for people.

There’s nothing better than the feeling I get when I help someone grasp something that was new to me too, not too long ago, especially after I’ve spent ages getting my head around it.

Sometimes DevRel can mean donning multiple hats together

When you’ve got a big DevRel team, each Developer Advocate gets to really play around and figure out what’s best for the company’s developer customers. This could mean writing interesting tutorials, speaking about the latest tech trends, hosting webinars, penning articles that get you thinking, making screencasts, doodling sketches to demystify tough data structures or algorithms, brainstorming better tech support strategies, creating educational guides for the product, or even attending lots of developer events to connect directly with the tech community.

With a smaller DevRel team, you’re often juggling several of these tasks at once. It’s like this neat balancing act that’s naturally got a bit of a trial-and-error vibe to it. Going overboard or not doing enough can both be tricky, so you’re always tweaking your strategies, keeping an eye on the metrics, and figuring out what’s hitting the mark and what’s missing it, all based on a bunch of different factors.

Does being a fresher come in handy?

For sure, a fresher isn’t going to have the same level of experience as someone who steps into a Developer Advocate role after years of being in the trenches as a developer, dealing with tech problems and figuring out solutions firsthand.

I totally get that someone with a lot of experience has a lot of valuable stuff to say about tech topics. But on the flip side, a newbie will often spend way more time getting to grips with a topic themselves before feeling ready to share it with others. While they might not cover the same ground as more seasoned Developer Advocates, they bring a fresh, different perspective that can really add to the understanding of the subject.

Everybody wants to be a part of DevRel

Like I said earlier, there’s a big wave of recent grads eager to jump into DevRel (and yeah, I might’ve nudged one or two in that direction 😄). But let me tell you, even though it’s a pretty awesome gig, it involves some serious work. There’s this big misconception that Developer Evangelists are just cool cats traveling the world, dishing out basic dev tips. But behind every post, every tutorial, and every presentation, there’s a ton of work. Crafting the content is a major challenge, and then you’ve got stuff like nailing the visual presentation, breaking down the tech, keeping it relevant and at the right level, not to mention getting the length just right. Standing on stage in front of hundreds? Tough. Starting conversations with strangers? Also tough. Being open to public criticism? Super tough. It’s definitely not a walk in the park.

DevRel isn’t a piece of cake, but for those who get a kick out of being excited about the incredible things being created and love to chat about them non-stop, it’s an absolute blast.

Of course, being part of DevRel often means you’re not coding as much, which can be a bit of a downer for some folks. This actually sways a lot of decisions about diving into DevRel in the first place. I’ve seen quite a few people dip their toes in and then scoot back to full-time development. That’s why it’s super important to really get what DevRel is about before you jump on board.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m pretty chatty, and I think my mom, being a CS professor, really got me into the groove of explaining complex stuff to others. That’s probably why DevRel felt like a natural fit for me. I’m not saying I’m a pro at it, but I do love getting stuck in and picking up new things as I go. This same drive hooked me up with the Mozilla Foundation back in my college days, starting as a Firefox Student Ambassador, then moving on to a Rep, and now as a Tech Speaker. This eagerness to show people how simple stuff can be, stuff they thought was super complex, even led me to co-author a book on Virtual Reality. I just love talking and writing about what I know, and I’m always keen to get into what I don’t, just so I can share it in my own way later on.

If any part of this article strikes a chord with you and you’re thinking, ‘Hey, this is something I’d love to do all the time,’ then DevRel might just be your calling. Go ahead and start looking for opportunities! But if this didn’t quite resonate with you, then then my friend, you just had the wrong idea of DevRel until now.

Experienced Developer != Sr. Developer Advocate/Head of DevRel

By this point, you’ve probably got that a DevRel team is playing a whole different ball game with its unique goals, responsibilities, and the skills needed, compared to a regular tech team or a marketing squad. This means that even if you’ve clocked in years as a Developer, you’d still need to spend some quality time in DevRel to really get the hang of it. So making a leap from being a seasoned developer to a Senior Dev Advocate might not be as smooth or beneficial for you or the company as you’d think.

DevRel in India

Honestly, the DevRel scene in India isn’t all that great at the moment. When you compare it with places like Europe and the States, we just don’t have nearly as many conferences happening there. But hey, there are folks like Siddharth and Dhananjay who totally get this and are putting in some solid effort to turn things around. They’re organizing meaningful events right here in India and connecting with the global DevRel community, getting them involved and contributing. Despite these efforts, we’re still a ways off from having ‘Developer Evangelist’ seen as a regular job role in the tech scene there. Sure, there are a few companies with their own DevRel departments, but what they aim to achieve can be pretty different from one place to the next.

I’ve had my share of offers for Developer Evangelist roles at companies in India, but a lot of them were really just about plain old marketing, not focusing on developers or community building. That’s totally missing the mark. If you’re in that boat, it’s important to get a handle on what the role is really about before you bring someone on board. Otherwise, you might be skewing what it means for a bunch of people. A great place to start getting a clearer picture is Christian Heilmann’s classic post — always a solid reference.

If you’re a tech company that deals with developers, it’s high time to start thinking about putting together a DevRel team. And if you’re someone thinking of joining a DevRel team for the first time, do your homework. Really dig into what it’s all about, understand what you’re signing up for, and make sure you’re making the right call.

I just wrapped up my first year in the professional world, and I’m super pumped about it! A huge shout-out to everyone who’s helped me learn and grow, both personally and professionally, over the past year — you guys know who you are 😊. By the way, if you’re curious about what I’m up to, I do tweet quite a bit (though not as much as I talk 😜). Right now, I’m living in London, and working with a Realtime Data Stream Network provider named Ably Realtime.

Just a quick brain dump, so please ignore any grammar slips. And yeah, I get that the title might be a bit off now that I’m past my fresher days. But hey, does it really matter? 😄

For absolutely any questions, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter. My DMs are always open :D

Ciao for now.