I was having a conversation with a friend, sharing how I have achieved so much in tech but still feel stuck.
I have an MSc in software engineering. I've worked in a 24/7 network operations center (NOC), monitoring ISP infrastructure. I've delivered IT support across enterprise environments. I've built and shipped 16 websites for real clients using WordPress, Wix, Webflow, and Framer. Collarabted with different developers, and creatives and even started a creative agency .
From the outside, that might look like someone who couldn't decide what they wanted to be.
From the inside, it felt like stagnation.
Then he mentioned something i have been missing . "Documenting and building a great personal brand". he said and i quote "Your are qualified to be a developer advocate you should give it a try."
I decided i would read about being a Developer Advocate , the role, the responsibilities, the skills required.
The list looked something like this:
Can write and communicate complex ideas clearly
Has real engineering and technical experience
Understands developer pain points from the inside
Creates content , tutorials, blog posts, documentation
Comfortable engaging and educating different audiences
Bridges the gap between technical teams and end users
I had been doing all of this. For years. Across every single role I'd ever held.
When I was in the NOC at Tizeti a live ISP network operations environment I wasn't just monitoring alerts and escalating incidents. I was translating complex network failures into clear, human language for teams who needed to act fast. That's Developer Advocacy under pressure.
When I was building websites for clients , I wasn't just writing code. I was sitting across from business owners who had no technical background and helping them understand why the technology worked the way it did, what decisions we were making together, and how to manage it after I handed it over. I wrote guides. I ran walkthroughs. I made the technical approachable. That's Developer Advocacy in a freelance context.
I had been doing the job. I just didn't know the job had a name.
I never talked about any of them publicly.
I've worked in live network operations environments, resolved incidents under pressure, and maintained enterprise systems. I have an MSc in Software Engineering and another master's in progress.
I never documented the journey.
This article is me changing that.
Because one of the most important things I've learned about Developer Advocacy is this your visibility is your portfolio. The tutorials you write, the content you create, the concepts you explain publicly , that's the work. That's what companies hiring for DevRel roles are actually evaluating.
You don't get discovered. You get visible.
So I'm starting. Today. With this article.
Top comments (13)
What topics are you most excited to write about?
Software development and productivity.
This resonates a lot.
One thing I learned a bit late is that many technical people assume good work will eventually speak for itself. In reality, undocumented work often gets treated like work that never happened.
A lot of us are already doing parts of DevRel long before we realize it: explaining trade-offs, translating technical complexity for non-technical people, writing guides, helping users adopt systems, and making tools easier to trust.
The skill is not always missing. Visibility usually is.
exactly. we live in a world that requires visibility in almost everything we do.
Love this! Welcome to dev advocacy!
Thank you so much
A natural shift for many engineers—developer advocacy blends technical depth with communication, making engineering more impactful beyond just code.
yes i agree . That is why i'm building better communication skills
the 'achieved everything, still feel stuck' phase is real. turns out most career pivots are retroactive - you were already doing the new thing
true, progress needs to be visible at some point. Thank you
yeah - the moment you can name what changed usually comes months after it already happened.
Congratulations~
Thank you so much