Book Image

Developer, Advocate!

By : Geertjan Wielenga
Book Image

Developer, Advocate!

By: Geertjan Wielenga

Overview of this book

What exactly is a developer advocate, and how do they connect developers and companies around the world? Why is the area of developer relations set to explode? Can anybody with a passion for tech become a developer advocate? What are the keys to success on a global scale? How does a developer advocate maintain authenticity when balancing the needs of their company and their tech community? What are the hot topics in areas including Java, JavaScript, "tech for good," artificial intelligence, blockchain, the cloud, and open source? These are just a few of the questions addressed by developer advocate and author Geertjan Wielenga in Developer, Advocate!. 32 of the industry's most prominent developer advocates, from companies including Oracle, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, open up about what it's like to turn a lifelong passion for knowledge sharing about tech into a rewarding career. These advocates run the gamut from working at large software vendors to small start-ups, along with independent developer advocates who work within organizations or for themselves. In Developer, Advocate!, readers will see how developer advocates are actively changing the world, not only for developers, but for individuals and companies navigating the fast-changing tech landscape. More importantly, Developer, Advocate! serves as a rallying cry to inspire and motivate tech enthusiasts and burgeoning developer advocates to get started and take their first steps within their tech community.
Table of Contents (36 chapters)
34
Other Books You May Enjoy
35
Index
36
Packt

The dilemma of authenticity

Geertjan Wielenga: What do you do when the direction of the company that you work for conflicts with your own vision and, of course, your whole career is about being authentic?

Ted Neward: There are easy answers at the edge of the continuum. Your company is breaking the law; what do you do? That's the same for any job; that's not a developer relations thing.

If you're not comfortable with being on stage and taking uncomfortable questions, then you need to question whether or not you want to be in this position. If your company's doing something illegal, and if you're in the news because you're a developer advocate, there's a certain amount of needing to say, "Okay, that's above my pay grade. I don't know what's going on there. I'm just as baffled as you are." There's always that answer as an option. If you're the press secretary for the President of the United States, you're expected...