DevRel isn't as easy as you think.. "Well Justin all you're doing is making videos and talking about the product! How hard could that be?". Harder than you think actually. There is so much more work that goes on behind the scenes that people need to be aware of. Otherwise you're gonna hate working in this field.
Working while Traveling
Working on projects while you're traveling is one of the biggest surprises I had when I first started as a Developer Advocate. At Airbyte, our strategy is to hit at least 1 long-form video and 2-short form videos a week. This can look different depending on the company you work at and what content strategy you choose.
Consistency is what we aim for. Naturally as an IC (Individual Contributor), there is pressure to deliver on these deadlines every week but traveling makes this especially difficult. Still, we need to do our best to push content out even on the go so a lot of planning is required for this. If you don't shoot a buffer of videos before you leave for the flight, you'll need to shoot content at the hotel when you have the time. I try to shoot the content I need before I leave and I'll edit them on the flight or when I have downtime.
The gotcha that comes with traveling is downtime doesn't really happen. Traveling as a Developer Advocate means flying out to conferences and working the booth or giving a talk. Both require time for prep, rehearsal, etc. So in my experience, it's much better to have content already pre-recorded so you can edit and push it out when it's ready. Nonetheless, preparing and scheduling content when in a pinch or on a hectic travel schedule can be very stressful. Manageable if you organize properly however.
Creating ideas for content
On top of this, it's already very difficult to get ideas for content. When making videos, writing blog posts, or whatever other types of content you work on, you are constantly thinking of what's going to resonate with your audience and/or what will be the most impactful to them. In order to actually accomplish this, you'll need to do a lot of research about countless topics in your field and what people are talking about the most. Some ideas are more obvious than others in terms of identifying a "hot-topic" but you'll never get it right 100% of the time. It's just impossible.
Ideating concepts and brainstorming is always one of the hardest parts. Perfectionism is one of the biggest obstacles of not just being a Developer Advocate but also just a content creator in general. You won't settle for any less than perfect when it comes to the edit, the way you said a certain word, the whole flow of the video or the graphics. You'll overthink everything to the point of debating whether you post it or not.
Overloading your plate
Lastly, I've learned that working in this field, there is a huge potential to take on more work than you can handle. On top of making content, you could be asked to do more work such as writing documentation, running community based events, the list goes on and on. This for me is now expected to be asked to do other things on top of projects I already have going on. The biggest lesson learned in these situations is how to say no. It's one of the biggest skills you could have not only in this field but in life.
These are ultimately just some of the situations I've run into while working in DevRel but this isn't to deter anyone from wanting to work as a Developer Advocate. I very much love my job and the tasks I get to do every single day. But I want everyone currently looking to join to be aware of some aspects of the job that can for lack of a better word, suck. As with any job, it's all about setting boundaries and knowing when to draw the line. If you can identify that and navigate through some of these situations, I'm confident you will be great as a Developer Advocate 😏
Conclusion
Hope you enjoyed this write-up! Make sure to follow me on my other socials to get notified when more posts like this come out and please feel free to comment and give feedback! I'm always looking for more topics and ways to improve.