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

Attending conferences

Geertjan Wielenga: Was your introduction to traveling to conferences via Heinz's JCrete unconference?

Rabea Gransberger: Yes, in 2011 I was invited by Heinz and did travel to the first JCrete unconference.

There I got in touch with other developers who traveled to conferences. They were always asking, "Why don't you go to conferences as well and give a talk?"

I would reply, "But I don't have any ideas for talks because what I do at work is in a very specialized domain."

I didn't think that a talk that I gave would be interesting for the outside world. When you completely understand what you're doing, you feel that it's very boring and nobody else could possibly be interested.

My first talk was at EclipseCon Europe in 2012, which I did with a coworker of mine. That came about because we attended one of the Eclipse demo camps that are held when some new Eclipse version is released.

One evening, we were traveling...