How to Become a Docker Captain
Published: 2024-01-08 08:00:00

I become a Docker Captain in early 2023. As Docker's official website mentions,

> Docker Captains are Docker experts and leaders in their communities who are passionate about sharing their Docker knowledge with others. Being a Docker Captain is about helping other people learn about Docker, building the Docker community, and advancing their own expertise with Docker.


What follows is my journey to become a Docker Captain.

## 1. Learn Docker

I learned Docker in 2015 when it was only 2 years old. I was trying to run the tests of the Python project I was working on.
I couldn't manage to install the dependencies correctly, so my colleague said "Why don't you use Docker?".
The tests were running on our GitLab-CI server using Docker. If it was running there, it should run on my machine too.

Two weeks later I was advocating Docker to my colleagues, setting up CI pipelines, and writing Dockerfiles.

## 2. Write about Docker

I started blogging on Medium in 2018. From March 2022 I started writing a Medium article every week. I later called the
series Git Weekly, but was also writing about Docker. By March 2023 I had written almost 35 Medium articles, 3 of which were
about Docker.

- [My Medium blog](https://aerabi.medium.com/)

Additionally, I had 2 articles published on Docker's official blog, and 1 under review.

- [My Docker blog posts](https://www.docker.com/author/raina-arabi/)

I remember every Sunday I was going to my favorite cafe, ordering a caffè mocha, and writing a Medium article. There
are so much to say, I never ran out of ideas. Every time I had faced an issue during my work, I would take a note and
write about it later.

![mochaccino with laptop](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*PMpSRmHZ_5JtNmppCBnTqQ.jpeg)

## 3. Build a Docker community

As I was passionate about Docker, I was looking for a community to join. I learned that the closest Docker meetup was
in Zurich, Switzerland. I live in Freiburg, Germany, which is 2 hours away from Zurich. The meetup group was not really
active, as it was COVID time, so I contacted Docker and asked if I could organize a virtual meetup within that group.
Later, I asked to create a new meetup group for Freiburg, and they accepted. Hence I officially became a Docker Community Leader.
That's a title you get when you organize a Docker meetup group.

As I was in touch with Docker, my first point of contact, Ajeet Singh Raina, suggested me to write an article for Docker's
official blog. That was because I was active on Medium at the time. And this is how I got my first article published on
Docker's official blog.

The first in-person meetup I organized was in September 2022. It was a Docker Community All Hands watching party, and
I had a talk in that All Hands event. I also had my first blog post published on Docker's blog. So, I was rewarded the
Docker Community Leader award. The following video shows Alba Roza, the Docker Community Manager, announcing my award.

{% youtube pNULIbFiWbE %}

By now, I have organized 7 in-person meetups, and 3 virtual ones.

## 4. Speak at Docker events

By March 2023 I had spoken at 2 Docker Community All Hands events and a few meetups. After becoming a Docker Captain in 2023,
my speaking opportunities increased. I was invited to speak at a Docker meetup in Atlanta, USA, a conference in Amsterdam, 
Netherlands, and a live stream that was watched by 500 people. As a Captain, I was also invited to DockerCon 2023, but couldn't make
it due to visa complications (I'm still waiting for my visa to be approved).

## 5. Contribute to Docker

Even before becoming a Docker Captain, I was doing produce interviews with Docker employee. As an active community
member and old Docker user, they were interested in my feedback on their newest features and products. Also, a Docker
employee contacted me to provide more details as I had written a blog post about their new product.

## Application

When I applied to become a Docker Captain in early 2023, I was already doing all the things mentioned above. And many
people in the Docker community knew me. I was also active on Twitter, and had some 500 followers. Eva Bojorges, the
Captains Program Manager, knew me well and said I received blessings from a few Docker employees.

A few weeks back I talked about my experiences as a Docker Captain in an interview with Pradumna Saraf that is now 
available on YouTube.

{% youtube mxz9l_onCe8 %}

## Final words

I hope this article helps you to become a Docker Captain. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on
Twitter or LinkedIn.