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

Raising the profile of developer advocacy

Trisha Gee: Yes, a lot of people don't know much about developer advocacy, so from a visibility point of view, I think we need to change that. I do get approached by people who are developers and are really interested in what's involved in this job and finding out whether they could actually do a job like this. I also think it's important to expose the profession to graduates and newbies to tech, and tell them that yes, this job exists.

One of the things I really love about developer advocacy comes from the fact that when I was a child, I wanted to be a teacher. That was because my parents are teachers, but also, I liked the idea of teaching people stuff; it's a cool thing to do.

If I had known that I could be a programmer and a teacher at the same time, I think I would have aimed for this career much sooner because this is my sweet spot: being able to do something that's creative and logical like programming, but...