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

Difficult questions

Ivar Grimstad: You've got to be honest. If I can't answer a question, I have to say that I need to look it up and come back to them. Being polite is always important, but you shouldn't start making up answers. If you don't know it, you don't know it. The hardest thing is when you end up having a discussion with somebody in the audience, but you just have to cut it short because nobody else in the room wants to hear that.

Geertjan Wielenga: What does your typical day look like?

Ivar Grimstad: I would say that there are no typical days in my work life. They are all unique in some way or other. One day, I may be coding the entire day. Another day, I could be busy with customer meetings. Then there is the developer advocacy work, which is divided between blogging, writing demos, preparing talks, traveling to conferences, speaking, and contributing to open-source projects.

Geertjan Wielenga: Can this multitude of tasks lead to you experiencing burnout...