Introduction
A couple of days ago I heard the word "DevRel" from many people. I was very curious about its roles, responsibilities and how to get into it. Then I listened to many people who are working as DevRel, I also attended some Twitter spaces where folks were talking about it in detail. Then I got a clear picture of what is DevRel and how it works in an organization. So here I wrote a blog on this to help others to know more about DevRel. Let's get started.
What is DevRel?
DevRel also known as Developer Relations or Developer Advocacy, DevRel helps to educate developers and get people into the community to contribute.
DevRel is the face of the company. He should know very well about the products of the company.
There are 3 ways in which DevRel helps people that are called "3C"- Code, Content and Community.
1. Code
Code is an important part because DevRel going to be involved in helping other people, for the product, DevRel needs to be qualified and comfortable with its product whether that includes working with sample applications, adding new integrations, may be providing technical support from time to time. So you need to be comfortable with code or tech in general.
2.Content
This is the part where documentation comes in by the way.
To make a bridge between people and an organization, well content is the way by which information is going to flow whether that is in oral, video or written form. You are always going to have content.
DevRel team does work on content substantially now which could include working on product documentation through sample blogs, live streams, and collaborations.
3.Community
This is the most important part of DevRel.
In the DevRel role, you are serving the community, you are working for them, and you are there to help and ensure that they have the least amount of friction with your product.
Other Roles:
Content creation;
Conferences- talks, demos;
Hardcore testing of the product;
Finding flaws in Company's product;
Interacting with the engineering team.
Misconception:
- DevRel is not only about Content creation & attend Conferences (it's not a simple job & like Party Party Party) but rather a diverse field to work. In the end, you will be asked about the Matrix of whatever you did in past (i.e. 6 months) so be ready with that.
Growth ladder:
- DevRel intern<DevRel<Developer Advocate<Senior Developer Advocate<Principle Developer Advocate<Director of DevRel<Field CTO. (terminology can be up-down)
Blog Hype:
Don't write Blogs just shake them off or just copy-paste rather than write in your style, otherwise is no use for them.
You should have your opinion, personal touch (what you learned, challenges you faced, your solution)
Don't write a Blog that you didn't study.
Why:
- Whatever you are starting, like- blogs, newsletters, YouTube & community etc, just be prepared WHY you started this. You should have an aim/vision.
Is this good for freshers/students
This was the same question that I felt at starting, is the DevRel role good for freshers or students who are looking to start their career in tech?
So yes, this is a good role where you can start your career. But for everything, some prerequisites need to follow. As I have mentioned above that DevRel is all about "3C" so if you are a fresher then you should focus to develop these skills- Code, Content and community.
I want to tell you some examples: Aditya Oberai (He develop these skills during college and got a DevRel role in Appwrite during his final year of college). Kunal Verma (He is in college and working as a DevRel intern in Devtron) Now If your next question is how I can focus on these skills then here is the answer.
Learn the coding part related to your tech stack. Start making content (the best way to start is to document your learnings and then start creating good blogs) don't expect to create the best content in the first go, once you start it will improve gradually.
Community: For this, the best thing is to be active in one or two communities and learn from like-minded people in communities. Take participate in their events, do networking with communities team members and ask them to give you some role so that you can develop some skills of management. Make sure to contribute to the community this will upskill you.
By doing these all you will learn a lot gradually with your college period which may be from 6 months to 2 years. And students have a greater chance for these DevRel roles because they are active in so many activities along with college life.
Conclusion:
In the end, I would like to say whether you are a fresher or not, the DevRel role can be for you if you are interested and can develop the above-mentioned skills.
Thank you for reading this Blog. Hope you got a good insight about DevRel! If you found this blog helpful, please like, share (with your thoughts on socials), comment and follow me for more blog posts like this in the future.