My Journey Through DevRel Uni Cohort 5 ✨
When I first applied to DevRel Uni, I sought more than just a certificate or another line on my resume. I wanted to understand my strengths and weaknesses if I become a Developer Relations person, specifically within the Web3 space. My motivation was rooted in a desire to identify areas where I could improve, whether it be communication, coding experience, product understanding, or writing technical documentation. I knew coding was a gap for me, but I suspected there might be more to uncover.
The acceptance email arrived on the 15th of May, just one day before the program was set to begin. I was thrilled and slightly anxious to read, “We are delighted to announce that, after a thorough review of your application, you have been accepted into DevRel Uni’s Fifth Cohort. Congratulations! 🎉🎉” What followed was a list of six classes, scheduled every Thursday at 10 a.m. PT (5 p.m. UTC), each consisting of an hour-long session with a DevRel expert followed by a 30-minute workshop.
DevRel Uni was created to address the rapidly growing field of developer relations, which is essential for companies to build trust and engagement with their developer communities. Successful students from this program can follow a variety of career paths, ranging from developer relations and product management to becoming entrepreneurs, technical ambassadors, or technical writers.
During this program, students learn the essence of DevRel: how to establish effective DevRel programs, acquire valuable insights, learn where to start if you want to build your dApp, and master the creation of best-in-class documentation. The most important aspect of this journey is the guidance from experts in developer relations. These professionals bring a wealth of experience and insights from their personal journeys in DevRel, making them the best mentors you could imagine!
Let’s dive deep into what DevRel Uni looks like, class by class, assignment by assignment!
Class 1: Bianca Buzea
The program kicked off with Bianca Buzea, the founder of DevRel Uni and the Developer Relations Lead at Chronicle Labs. Bianca shared her personal story and journey of how she entered and became a Web3 DevRel professional. Her session was incredibly motivating since she provided us with invaluable tips and tricks:
- if you want to become better at writing, write daily;
- if you want to grow your personal brand, show up daily on social media;
- if you want to improve your technical skills, build it up — code;
- if you want to meet like-minded people and learn together, organize weekly study sessions and interviews.
Bianca also delved into the history of DevRel, explaining how it emerged as a field, the differences between developer-first and developer-plus companies, and the current state of developer relations both in Web3 and beyond. It was fascinating and insightful to learn about these aspects. There was much more covered in her session, but I am not going to make any spoilers for the sake of future cohorts :)
First Assignment
The first assignment we received after the first class was to select a company we liked and imagine ourselves as their Developer Advocate, creating a Q3 strategy with 30-, 60-, and 90-day plans. I chose Midnight, a data protection-based sidechain solution for Cardano designed to enable secure and compliant smart contract execution.
For the first 30 days, my focus was on onboarding and preparing myself as a DevRel for Midnight. This included making initial interactions with the community through awareness initiatives such as monthly coding challenges, collaborative projects, virtual meetups, and office hours.
In the next 60 days, I planned a virtual and on-site launch event series, including a two-week boot camp on Zoom to onboard developers quickly with hands-on sessions and mentorship. Additionally, I wanted to introduce a feedback portal and deep feedback sessions to gather immediate feedback about my work and Midnight Network.
In the final 30 days, my strategy involved launching community programs like an ambassador program and virtual regional hubs. I aimed to create advanced tutorials, conduct developer spotlights, and establish a KPI dashboard to track key performance indicators. This phase also included cross-community engagement, covering all spheres from community programs and content production to vendor organization metrics and social media engagement.
Class 2: Steph Orpilla
The second class was presented by Steph Orpilla, Developer Relations Lead at Nillion, and it focused on bootstrapping DevRel from scratch. Steph shared her journey in Web3 and differentiated three types of DevRel: community, content, and product. She emphasized that there’s a place for everyone in DevRel. Whether you are more inclined towards content creation and education, community building, or product-focused tasks like coding and documentation, there is a niche where you can thrive.
The latter part of her presentation covered the essentials of documentation: how to write and update docs, choosing the right platform for publication, and the importance of feedback from engineering, product, and marketing teams. She highlighted the significance of creating code examples to help developers understand how things work and the value of open-source code, which allows developers to fork and build upon existing work. Communication channels were also discussed, emphasizing the need for spaces where developers can ask questions, report bugs, and share code.
Second Assignment
Following Steph’s class, our assignment was to give a protocol a feedback burger — positive feedback, constructive criticism, and more positive feedback. I chose Midnight Network again, as I was already familiar with it and could thoroughly evaluate its documentation.
My review noted that the documentation clearly defined the audience and prerequisites, making it suitable for beginners, not just developers. It provided detailed instructions and explanations for each step with an encouraging tone. However, I encountered some UI and compatibility issues, particularly with macOS - these issues could be better addressed in the documentation to ensure smoother installations. My overall impression was that Midnight Network’s documentation was user-friendly and effective for non-developers, but could benefit from improved troubleshooting details and UI consistency.
Class 3: Patrick Collins
The third class featured Patrick Collins, one of the best educators in the Web3 space. He created an amazing Solidity development course available for free and shared some tips and tricks on how to get 1 million views on a YouTube video. His main advice: make a really f*cking good video, and I cannot but agree with it! Providing value and insights to the community is key.
Patrick’s session was one of the funniest and most engaging, thanks to his entertaining style. He didn’t just provide information; he made the learning experience enjoyable and memorable.
Third Assignment
For our third assignment, we had to choose a protocol or company and write about one of its features or products. I selected Midnight Network again and published an article on HackMD.io, a platform supporting Markdown, which allowed me to incorporate code snippets. My article was an introduction to the Compact Compiler, detailing how to set it up, verify installation, and write a simple contract to ensure it was working correctly. This article provides a robust and user-friendly guide for developing privacy-preserving smart contracts on Midnight.
Class 4: Austin Griffith
The fourth class was with Austin Griffith, another great educator in the space. Many people who started building in Web3 began with Austin’s tutorials. During our session, Austin demonstrated his impressive skills by shipping a DApp to production within the class. His speed and expertise were impressive, although challenging for me to follow as a non-coder :)
Despite the challenge, Austin’s insights on where to start, which platforms to choose, and how to utilize different programming languages to build DApps on Ethereum were incredibly valuable.
Fourth Assignment
Our fourth assignment was particularly interesting as it required teamwork. We were assigned to the Ethereum Foundation and tasked with creating a hands-on workshop to be presented at the EthCC. The workshop needed to be innovative and include promotional strategies.
We decided to create a workshop on how to become EIP editors, targeting developers and builders interested in contributing to Ethereum protocol development. We planned to invite EIP editors like Gavin John, Micah Zoltu, and Nick Johnson to share their experiences and insights. Our promotion strategy included social media campaigns, email introductions, cross-promotion with influential community members, interactive teasers, and on-site promotion at the EthCC.
Class 5: Nader Dabit
The fifth class was with Nader Dabit, the Director of DevRel at EigenLayer. Nader shared 16 valuable lessons he has learned about DevRel's career and project growth. Some of his advice:
- Don’t be afraid to move on.
- Put yourself in others’ shoes.
- Be helpful regardless of return.
- Play a long-turn game.
His session was both motivating and inspiring, offering practical wisdom that resonated deeply with all of us.
Fifth Assignment
Our assignment was to interview someone who is already working in DevRel and learn about their journey. I chose Gyan Lakshmi, a Developer Advocate at Starknet Foundation. Gyan has made significant contributions in both Web2 and Web3 and is a great educator.
During our interview, I learned about her journey into Developer Relations, her transition to Web3, and her work with StarkNet. She also shared her initiatives in creating study groups and educational spaces for women in Web3, which was incredibly inspiring. The interview provided valuable insights and reinforced my passion for DevRel.
The interview is available through the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56GLoInLIeE
Class 6: Michiel Mulders
The final class was with Michiel Mulders, a Developer Advocate and Documentation Strategist at Hedera Hashgraph. Michiel’s session focused on documentation strategy, emphasizing the importance of good documentation. He shared that “good documentation is like a roadmap to your project. It tells you where you’ve been and where you’re going, and it helps you avoid getting lost along the way.”
Michelle covered various aspects of documentation in DevRel, including essential elements, tools, structure, and search functionality. He provided numerous examples and explained the learning journey to becoming better at documentation, including the importance of technical videos. His insights were incredibly valuable for understanding how to provide an excellent developer experience through documentation.
Personal Reflections
Reflecting on my journey through DevRel Uni, I can confidently say that I achieved what I set out to learn. I identified the most crucial areas for my growth. For instance, I discovered that I have a knack for technical writing because I enjoy digging into details and fully understanding what each component means. My communication skills were already strong, so that aspect of the program was less challenging for me. However, as I initially thought, my coding experience still needs improvement.
What I appreciated most about the course was its manageable structure. The classes, held once a week, were not overwhelming. This frequency allowed us to absorb and reflect on the material without feeling rushed. The program was flexible enough to accommodate our schedules, understanding that many of us have full-time jobs and personal commitments. This flexibility, combined with the consistent weekly learning, ensured that we stayed engaged without becoming overwhelmed.
Each class was supplemented with a wealth of articles, additional resources, and links, allowing us to explore the topics further on our own time. This approach was fantastic for self-paced learning and deepening our understanding.
The most impactful part of the program was the community. The connections I made with my co-students were invaluable. Meeting some of them in person at the EthCC conference was definitely a highlight of my conference week, reinforcing the supportive nature of this community.
All in all, I wish everyone in Cohort 5 and future cohorts the best of luck in their DevRel careers! This experience has definitely been life-changing and has provided me with the tools and confidence to advance in the field of DevRel, especially within the Web3 space.
