Q&A with Tejas Kumar from Dx-Mentorship Session

Outlines

• Introduction
• Dx-Mentorship
• Q&A Session
• Closing Thoughts

Introduction

DevRel is a relatively new field in the tech space and getting started without guidelines or mentorship can be difficult. Lot’s of people wanting to get into DevRel are seeking answers to questions to help them navigate the DevRel path. So in this Q&A article, I decided to put to writing answers to questions asked by several members of Dx-mentorship program during a live session with Tejas Kumar.

Dx-mentorship is a DevRel mentorship program designed to charge you into DevRel in 3 months. The mentorship program gets you equipped with knowledge and information that will propel you into a fulfilling Developer Advocacy career, working with industry experts and real world scenerios to prepare you for the job you’ve always wanted!.

Q&A Session

Q1. Do we need to be good at just one modality- speaking for example. Or is the expectation from companies to be good at all - speaking, writing, and more?

Anu

Answer
Instead of optimising for what companies expect, it is important to optimise for what you’re naturally gifted with, and then the company will recognise that and hire you based off of that. And no matter what mode you choose, you will automatically become more valuable to them. You need to find one mode first and be good at it, then adding others subsequently.

Tejas Kumar

Q2. I totally agree with the point that people pay money for conferences to learn rather than listen to DevRel promoting their products. Is it a top level problem starting from the companies expectation of DevRel or is it from arising from DevRel doing it incorrectly? What’s the way to address this issue?

Anu

Answer
It might be both (DevRel doing it incorrectly and top level problem), but it’s definitely a top level problem and that’s just because certain companies just don’t know how to do good DevRel. That’s because, they try to measure it like some quarterly thing you can measure, and they fail. But also, it is the fault of the DevRel employees themselves, that they don’t push back
and try to do DevRel internally. The way to address this issue is to have quantitative results about the long term value of DevRel.

Tejas Kumar

Q3. It can be uneasy to walk up to a total stranger at an event and have meaningful conversations. Some people are also generally unapproachable at a first glance. How do you navigate that sea of uncertainty

Kenny

Answer
I learned many years ago that when people are unapproachable, rude, or not welcoming, it really says a lot more about them than it does about you or your company. The best thing to do at that point is collect it as data, take them to the team internally, and you reiterate. That’s a huge part of DevRel. At some point that data, you are going to use it and it’s going to inform your product decision, and in this case, you’re the product. Why do people not want me to approach them, what can I do, what training can I invest in? Just take it as a data point, learn from it and move on.

Tejas Kumar

Q4. I enjoy speaking and I’ve spoken at a couples of conferences and teaching, I also have experience managing developer communities. It seems a lot of companies want writers, I’ve asked a couple of DevRel engineers and I’ve been told I could write more too. Isn’t a DevRel engineer supposed to have their strengths? Must one write consistently to be a DevRel engineer?

Ifeoma Nwosu

Answer
Yes, you have your strength. Also, No, you must not write consistently to be a DevRel engineer. Writing could be a strength but it is not the only strength. Speaking is a great strength. Teaching is the meta strength, like strength above all the strengths, because writing, speaking, video contents creation is all coming back to teaching. Great DevRels put awesome thoughts into their communication, always. This is a great tip for your DevRel journey.

Tejas Kumar

Q5. I'm transitioning from marketing to tech through DevRel. Would you say being an experienced programmer is a prerequisite to being a good DevRel?

omoalhaja Abiola

Answer
Not necessarily. I think DevRel and programming skills can be learned at the same time. In fact, a lot of developer advocates do learn in public, like live streaming their learning, and because they are great at teaching, they’re also great at teaching while they’re learning. So, being experienced programmer isn’t a prerequisite for DevRel. But, is it a boost? Absolutely, because if you’re going to be doing developer relations, you are going to need to speak developer’s language. Don’t take this too extreme.

Tejas Kumar

Q6. Can introverts succeed as DevRels?

ZONA

Answer
Yes. in fact, one of the best DevRel I know on Twitter as Atila Fassina, he is a proper introvert and very applauded as a DevRel. You could as an introvert think a little bit differently. You could maybe give tips on “doing DevRel as an introvert” if you’re interested. Now, you need to be aware that doing DevRel as an introvert is going to drain you, but you need to internalise that investment into someone is worth the cost. Another point is, you need to consider that the people you are going to meet as way more important than yourself, and this is going to motivate you.

Tejas Kumar

Q7. How can we start with submitting relevant CFPs without any experience as most of the places demand previous proof of work through technical speaking events?

Nayana Kumari

Answer
Based off from my experience, I have seen CFP forms, they don’t demand experience. For jobs, Yes. But for conferences, No. If you want to write relevant CFPs, I would recommend thinking about a problem you had, and how you solved it. Like a case study in a great way. A personalised solution to a problem is a great CFP. If you don’t have any problem that you’ve solved, should you be doing a talk? Should you be submitting a CFP? This is a question I will like to leave with you. I like to think it is a prerequisite to have things to talk about before submitting a CFP.

Tejas Kumar

Q8. How can we have an active presence from off-twitter platforms?

Nayana Kumari

Answer
YouTube for example, assuming you create videos regularly. The key to having an active presence on platforms is to do the thing that you enjoy, and when people see and enjoy it, it becomes contagious. A lot of people tell me that the talks I gave are some of the best talks they’ve heard in their lives, and the reason they do that is because, I really just enjoy myself. Let your definition of successful be, did you have fun, did you enjoy it? because when you enjoy yourself, everybody have a great time and then your talk/content is successful.

Tejas Kumar

Q9. What’d you do if you were starting out in this field (DevRel) in the current timeframe?

Answer
I will not do anything different actually. I know my strength is speaking, it is what I enjoy. And because I enjoy it, I will naturally be good at it. I will find local meetups and speak, I will find a conference and do CFPs. If I start today with no DevRel experience, I will do it exactly the same way I did five years ago.

Tejas Kumar.

Q10. I’m a FrontEnd developer now. I have specific tasks for every sprint I need to focus on and complete. That’s it. But in contrast, from my initial understanding of devrel, I feel its too broad with too many things demanding your attention, energy and time. What advice do you have for us and how did u personally navigate the role migration from developer to devrel yourself?

Anushree

Answer
I was a FrontEnd engineer when I started DevRel. I was doing meetups in the evening after work, I was doing conferences on the weekends to the point where I started getting invited to conferences. But there’s a tension if you’re a full time engineer and doing devrel. Unless, your talks are about your engineering work. This is your other option, you talk about your day to day work. Yes, people would want to hear that.

Tejas Kumar.

Q11. I am just about to graduate and I have done multiple DevRel internships but I don’t have enough technical projects. Should I start my career as a DevRel or a developer to first polish my tech skills and build projects

Reet Batra

Answer
To you (Reet) I would say, why not both? Do an engineering project, and then do a talk on how you built that. That;’s an avenue for you to explore.

Tejas Kumar

Q12. Teaching in DevRel takes different form ranging from tech writing, to video content creation and all for a company looking to invest in video content creation, what would you advise their dev advocate to do as regard video content strategy.What are the tips you would give for video content creation

Pamilerin

Answer
This is going to be different for everybody. I (Tejas Kumar) have a YouTube channel, and I do have my preferences. It depends on what your goals are. My goals with video content creation are to enjoy it, honestly. For me, beautiful videos are important, seeing my face, listening to my voice, body language - this important and is part of my content creation, and it gives me joy.

Tejas Kumar

Q13. As a DevRel, how do you grow or measure your growth in the space. is it important for a Devrel to have a YouTube channel

Olanetsoft

Answer
Two questions in one message. I grow and measure my growth by the quality of my work which is extremely subjective. But, it is me measuring myself. For my YouTube channel, how I measure myself is the quality of my video. Is the quality of my video better in today’s video compared to yesterday’s video? That’s one of my criteria. Is my speaking clear, does my microphone have noise? This is how I grow and measure myself. This is not just DevRel by the way, this is life.
On the second question, absolutely NOT important for a DevRel to have a YouTube channel.

Tejas Kumar

Closing Thoughts

It is very important for you to internalise that it is “DevRel” and not “DevSell.” If your focus is Developer “Relations”, then everything will fall into place. It’s the sense of “I care about you” that makes a relationship good, and this is the essence of DevRel.

Note: This Q&A article is from a live session with Tejas Kumar, hosted by Dx-mentorship.

Photo Credits: Asset Entrepreneur