Transcript
What does your job involve?
I'm currently working as a developer relations director for Wildlife, one of the biggest mobile game companies in the world. I work in internal developer relations, a job more interesting compared to others in DevRel as not many people in this field work for only one company. At Wildlife, we have a large tech stack with many different technologies. We have a lot of teams working internally, such as those who use our technology to build our video games. Similar to when you have a customer facing solution, we help these teams to use our technology and to be as efficient and effective as possible. It's partly similar to a normal developer relations role as we do community building, documentation and training. The difference is that we don't have to sell or talk to customers. We talk to coworkers, which makes the job a bit more relaxed and different.
What were you doing before DevRel?
Before DevRel, I was working in company support for game engine Unity. It wasn't a traditional DevRel role as the job involved supporting Unity customers and helping them to use our technology.
What made you consider a career in DevRel?
It came about unexpectedly. I originally applied for a different position in Unity and during the interview process they suggested another role that they believed would be a better fit. I looked at what the new role entailed and I agreed. Even previously, I had always been more interested in talking about technology and teaching it to others than actual programming. At university, I ran a first year programming class to get people started in computer science studies. I like to read and talk about technology and have also published a book on the subject. So, I didn't know about DevRel per se, but I was always interested in what DevRel does.
What did you think about DevRel that you now know is wrong?
I always thought DevRel was all about giving presentations, understanding technology, collecting and condensing knowledge, and then sharing it with other people. However, I didn't know how much writing and research goes on in the background.
What did you think about DevRel that turned out to be right?
What turned out to be right is that you have to be a very technical person to be in DevRel. You can't just work in DevRel because you know a bit about technology, but don't want to be a programmer. You have to be a programmer or developer first, and then you may be able to get into DevRel as it's a very technical position.
How did you start to learn about DevRel?
I fell into the role by chance and then actually began to take more of an interest in DevRel. I did some research and there are some really good communities, newsletters and websites out there where you can read about DevRel and learn more.
Did any individuals or communities influence your DevRel journey?
I would say the biggest influence was the Developer Relations Collective. This is a Slack community with a lot of people, where you have the opportunity to talk to others who do the same job you're doing. You can exchange knowledge with people who maybe work in a company which is a bit different. We have regular video calls just to share what's going on and support each other. There's also the developer advocate newsletter that I like to read, which collects blog posts, videos, and conference talks from all over the world.
What skill gaps did you identify?
I think, as is the case with a lot of programmers, when I started out in DevRel, I was not that comfortable giving presentations - especially as a non-native English speaker. I tackled this by joining Toastmasters, which is a worldwide public speaking organisation. The group forces you to deliver speeches every few weeks, which is really good practice in becoming a better public speaker.
How did you make yourself stand out from the crowd?
The developer relations communities helped me to stand out in the field. It's important to be technically excellent when working in developer relations. Even now, I always make sure that I put aside a few hours every week to program and keep my skills up to date. Developer relations is even smaller in the game industry, and so having both developer experience and game development experience really helps from a credibility standpoint. If I go to a game developer to talk about technology, it's good that they see that I actually know what I'm talking about because I have experience of it. I'm not just trying to sell a product.
How was the recruiting process?
I would say it was not that different to the process for a normal developer role. Depending on the company, there are maybe three to five or six interviews, and normally one of those is more technical. However, for a developer relations role, quite often companies skip the technical interview part where you are given a programming assignment to solve. Instead, they prefer you to give a ten to fifteen minute presentation during the interview, followed by a discussion. Otherwise I would say it's the same. You have one or two skill interviews and then between two and four more interviews where they see if you fit the company culture.
Has your view of DevRel changed since you started working in it?
I would say it has changed in the sense that DevRel is a lot more complex and wider than I anticipated. If you join the different communities, you'll see what developer relations people do throughout the industry. Some focus more on conference organisation and meetups, others focus almost exclusively on documentation, training and everything in between. So it's nice to see how wide the field is, as I didn't realise before I joined.
What department was your first DevRel job in?
I've always been in an engineering department, which I think for most developer relations programs is the right place to be as it's a very engineering heavy discipline. Being in the engineering department helps as you have a manager and a director who understands your problems, but it also means you're closer to the people to whom you talk most. I spend most of my time communicating with our engineers, so being in the same department helps. It also perhaps allows me to influence some of the decisions a little.
What advice would you give to DevRel hopefuls?
I would say firstly research what kind of developer relationships you want because there's a wide area of different jobs. Then make sure that technology wise you are really solid. So if you want to work in developer relations, for example game development, make sure that you've developed several games to prove that you can do the developer job. In my experience, developers don't like to talk to people trying to sell them things when they don't know what they're talking about. Having this foundation will also help if, for whatever reason, one day you no longer want to work in developer relations. Having a range of developer skills means you can find a good job without having to depend on developer relations roles only.