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

Not knowing an answer

Geertjan Wielenga: For anyone wanting to do this job, do you need to know everything to be up on stage?

Scott Hanselman: I was in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago. I was teasing people about the Swiss Army knife. I asked, "We live in fear of the Swiss Army because of this knife? What's so great about the Swiss Army knife?"

It's not a great knife, scissors, or pair of tweezers, but it does all those things pretty well together. You have to be a Swiss Army knife. You have to know lots of stuff 85%—you don't have to be an expert.

I'm speaking from a place of privilege because I recognize that I'm privileged in being able to receive a question on stage and reply, "I don't know." If I was a woman or a person of color early in their career, it would be difficult to go on stage and say, "I don't know the answer to that, but I'll go and ask." Because everyone knows me in the community and I&apos...