Developer Relations is still a very new field that is unknown to many. In fact, oftentimes a person who deals with DevRel responsibilities in their work, does not even know it. Nevertheless, the attractive compensation, opportunities to travel and network, make people tweet about it, talk about it, and want to become one.
In this article, we will define what Developer Relations entitles and take a look at some tips on how to get a job in the field.
Developer Relations is not a job
Although Developer Relations (DevRel) is often used as a job title by companies, it is actually an umbrella term used for all roles in this field, such as Developer Advocate or Evangelist. Here in DevRel Careers we gather together all DevRel jobs, but when looking elsewhere, you have to know what exactly you are searching for. So here are some variations of how DevRel is being referred to:
- Developer Relations Engineer
- Developer Marketing Manager
- Developer Advocate
- Developer Evangelist
Sometimes DevRel responsibilities are rolled under:
- Product Marketing
- Community Management
- Writing & Content Management
Is there a difference between those job titles? The short answer is, it depends. Sometimes companies use the terms Developer Advocate and Developer Community Manager for the same job roles, so it is essential to dig deeper into the job descriptions and find out what exactly the role involves when pursuing a career in the field.
What will I be working on?
The most common responsibilities that come up in job descriptions are:
- Writing & improving documentation
- Building & nurturing community around a product
- Communication with engineers and developers
- Public speaking & attending at conferences worldwide
However, depending on the company, these responsibilities can be entirely different when applying them to the specific company’s niche. After all, communication with developers building software development tools is different from communication with those who are building a blockchain platform, as is the knowledge you need to learn.
Do I have to code?
Now that we have explored the possible job titles and responsibilities, you are probably wondering what skills are necessary to become a Developer Relations professional.
Although coding or programming is not a common job responsibility in DevRel, you have to be knowledgeable about a specific programming language, for instance. Why? Because when your main job responsibility is communication and feedback discussion with developers, you have to understand their work.
Alex Lakatos makes a great overview of what skills you should be developing if your aim is to get into DevRel. He also advises not to get discouraged with the list of complex skills that a DevRel may need, and adds that:
“We’ve all started out with only one or two of the required skills and learned the rest on the job. So don’t worry, you can make do with picking up only a few of these skills!”
Got it. Now, how to look for jobs?
Now that you have a brief overview of what Developer Relation entitles, let’s see how you should be looking for jobs.
Here at DevRel Careers, we have hand-picked and aggregated the best DevRel opportunities across the world, so it is a great place to start. But there are things you should pay attention to. These tips will help you save your precious time:
- Do you have a niche? If you already know that you wish to work for a crypto-related company, or you know you want to work in community building, our keyword filter can come in handy. Try searching for those keywords!
- Remote or On-Site? If you are looking for only remote jobs that can be done anywhere in the world, enable the “Remote Only” filter and check the jobs where the location is set to “Anywhere”.
Once you have clarified your preferred search criteria, simply start applying! You will learn in the process when you read about the skills and responsibilities that a Developer Relations professional needs.
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