Your Best Guide to Becoming a Developer Advocate
Tags: devrel, discuss, beginners, tutorial
Published: 2024-01-16 22:04:24

Developer Advocate, Developer Success, Developer Experience, Developer Evangelist, Developer Community Manager, Developer Programs Engineer, etc, are relatively new job titles that have been flying around within the tech ecosystem for some time now. What exactly do these job titles mean? Do they all mean the same thing?

Well, you'll find out in this tutorial. I'll walk you through what Developer Relations (DevRel) means, what they do, and a few resources that can help you become a Developer Relations professional.

## What is DevRel?
DevRel, an acronym for Developer Relations, involves building and maintaining relationships between a company and its users (developers).

DevRel is mostly used by companies whose primary users or customers are developers, and DevRel professionals ensure that the developers (users) have a smooth experience using the company's product.

*** 
## Responsibilities of a DevRel professional
DevRel involves a bunch of tasks that can change depending on the company's products and size. In large companies, the DevRel team might have different parts: one for making content and documentation, one for events, and another for the developer community.

In small companies or startups, a tiny DevRel team does it all—goes to events, makes content and guides, manages the developer community, and more.

Let's check out some of the things a DevRel team does.

### Community Management

One of the responsibilities of a DevRel professional is to build and manage the developer community. A DevRel professional is responsible for interacting with developers, gathering feedback, answering questions, and organizing events or workshops to explain new features of the company's product and how to use it efficiently.

A DevRel professional may also serve as the community moderator, sharing major updates or releases with the developer community and promoting open communication and feedback about the product. This helps the company make informed decisions.

### Organizing events and interactive sessions
The primary role of a DevRel professional is to ensure a seamless experience for developers using the product. This involves creating quick start guides, app demos, and real-world use-cases that demonstrate how to effectively utilize the company's product, thereby enhancing the overall developer experience.

DevRels also play a key role in organizing events, such as meetups, webinars, and hackathons. Through these events, they engage with developers, answer questions about their products, observe the problems people are solving, and put faces to the names within their community channels.

### Content Creation
DevRel professionals often take on the role of Content Creators for the company. As they directly engage with the developer community and collect feedback, they become valuable sources of insights.

They can share this feedback with the team, collaborating to determine the most effective content strategy. DevRel professionals may create content in video or blog post formats to address frequently asked questions within the community or demonstrate how to perform various tasks related to the company's products.

### Attending and giving talks at tech conferences
While DevRels are responsible for organizing events and interacting with community members, their first task is to attract users (developers) to use their products.

One effective way to achieve this is by attending tech conferences within their niche. At these conferences, they evangelize their products, highlighting the problems they solve and providing insights on how developers can use them. This significantly contributes to increasing product visibility and acquiring more users.

During these conferences, DevRels have the opportunity to engage with founders and experienced developers. They can exchange ideas on optimizing product usage and gather valuable feedback that benefits the company.

### Writing technical and API documentation
One of the key roles of DevRel professionals is to simplify technical concepts. They work closely with the Engineering team, gaining a thorough understanding of how the products work and the best practices for their usage. Then, they are tasked with creating clear and engaging documentation about APIs and various software tools based on the company's needs.

DevRel professionals also create product demos and how-to guides, enabling existing and potential users to visualize the product's functionality. 

***
## Resources that can help you become a DevRel professional
There are numerous resources available to help you become a DevRel professional. However, I'll share a few with you:

- [DevRel Resources](https://devrelresourc.es/) 
It contains numerous resources that can help you start and build your skills as a DevRel professional.  

- [Awesome DevRel](https://github.com/devrelcollective/awesome-devrel)
It contains a list of tools and tips used by DevRel professionals to carry out their daily activities.

- [DevRel Careers](https://devrelcareers.com/)
It is a job board that features daily DevRel opportunities, connecting employers with professionals.

- [DX Mentorship DevRel Resources](https://github.com/kenny-io/DevRel-Resources)
This is a GitHub repository containing articles, tools, videos, and events that can help you kickstart your career in Developer Relations and grow as a professional.

- [DX Mentorship Program (Free)](https://dxmentorship.com/)
This is a 3-month free mentorship program designed to help you kickstart your Developer Advocacy career.  It involves interactive sessions with experts, hands-on practical tests, and networking opportunities with fellow learners.

> _🚨 PS: This article is my second task in the mentorship program. I'm looking forward to learning a lot within the next few months._

***
## Wrap Up
Developer Relations encompasses a variety of activities that vary depending on the company's products and size, which is why we have different names for it.
If you're a Developer Advocate, feel free to share the activities you perform at your company and any helpful resources for beginners in the comment section.

Thank you for reading!