I used to be a nurse. Now I’m a Community Manager.
I used to work in forensic psychiatry - a closed psychiatric ward where mentally ill people who had committed crimes were placed instead of prison or jail. Now I work at Umbraco, an open-source content management system.
It sounds like two very different jobs. In some ways it is - but more often than not, I find myself thinking that the skills I used as a psychiatric nurse are very transferable to my role as a Community Manager.
“So… what did you do before working at Umbraco?”
This question comes up every time I attend an Umbraco event. It's a good conversation starter. But I can't help but feel that little twinge of insecurity when I'm asked this and I have to answer "I used to be a nurse".
"Oh wow, that is a big change", people tend to reply.
I’m not a developer. I didn’t come from a traditional tech background. My first instinct is to justify myself: “I’ve been making websites since I was 10”, "I've always been interested in the tech world" or “I have a master's degree in Web Communications.” All true, but not the point I really want to make.
What I really want to say is:
“It might sound very different, but Community Management is really just what I used to do as a nurse: managing patients in a psychiatric ward. People are people.”
People are people
People are people. The same overall, but also very different individually. That is true for both patients in a psychiatric ward and for Umbraco Community people. Some are loud, some are quiet, some are comfortable speaking on the big stage at Codegarden while others prefer to lurk on Discord. Some people walk into a room and instantly makes friends, while others have a harder time to talk to new people.
Managing a community is all about people. It's about building trust and relationships with people, interacting with people, holding space and making sure everyone gets a seat at the table, it's about mediating conflict and putting out fires. And when you realize that people are people, then you don't need to be a developer to manage a community of developers.
Even though I chose to leave the nursing career, I continue to have immense respect and admiration for the people working in and the patients residing in the forensic psychiatric ward. It is a challenging environment, and there is a lot of stigma surrounding the people in these places.
I like to remind myself that the people residing there are someone’s parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and children. They are real people whose debilitating mental illness has contributed to them ending up in the forensic psychiatric ward, away from the rest of the society. I have the deepest empathy for these people and will always continue to spread awareness of the challenges these people face, and how they are people just like the rest of us.
Managing a community of people who don’t want to be there
I used to “manage” the community that existed within the forensic psychiatric ward. The thing about the forensic psychiatric ward is that the people there mostly don’t want to be there. They were committed there because of a crime but could not be placed in a regular jail or prison due to mental illness. It was my job to help people coexist in a place they hadn’t chosen.
Now, I do the same thing for the Umbraco Community. The main difference being: People actually want to be there. They attend events of their own free will, and while they’re free to leave, they continue to come back because they feel a sense of belonging.
This sense of belonging is something I have been thinking about a lot since I joined Umbraco. At first, I questioned if I belonged here, not having had a job within the tech field before. I was the "new kid".
Being the “new kid”
I used to greet patients when they first arrived at the ward: scared, confused, sometimes angry. I would help them unpack their belongings, explain the daily routines, and ease them into life at the ward. It can be scary being the “new kid”. We have all been there - maybe not at the forensic psychiatric ward - but in a similar capacity.
Newcomers don’t know the unwritten rules. This is just as true for the Umbraco Community. Everyone seems to speak a language that’s familiar but full of secret meanings. Inside jokes fly past your head. You see people using #H5YR! (meaning High Five, You Rock!) and feel like you missed the memo. Even when everyone is friendly, it’s easy to feel like you don’t quite belong. The very thing that makes the community fun, unique and wonderful is also the thing that can make the barrier to entry feel high. There’s so much history, culture, and lore that newcomers simply don’t know yet.
Being new anywhere is hard. Part of my job is making it easier for the new Community people to feel included - just like I did for the new people at the psychiatric ward. Over time, I’ve turned being the “new kid” in a tech world into my strength, and I see it as my mission to help other newcomers feel welcome and find their place in the Umbraco Community.
“I know you - you are the one who writes a lot on Discord!”
Writing daily messages on the Umbraco Discord-channel is one of the things I do as a Community Manager. It's something people are noticing enough that when I introduce myself to new people, they will sometimes say "I know you - you are the one who writes a lot on Discord!". Often times, the people saying this are not even the people interacting with my posts. This makes me happy - because to me, it means that what I'm doing is working.
Being present and visible is a skill I brought with me from working as a psychiatric nurse. I spent a lot of time in the ward’s common areas - watching TV, doing puzzles, or reading the newspaper alongside patients. I used to joke that my job was “making puzzles,” because from the outside it probably looked like I wasn’t working at all.
In reality, being present was a big part of my job. Being available for small, everyday conversations is essential for building relationships. By simply being there, I could pick up on subtle changes in people's mood, notice frustrations early, and join in on shared activities that helped create trust and connection. I could make sure that everyone had someone to talk to and everyone got included in the community.
The messages I post on Discord are less about the words themselves and more about showing up for the community, building trust, and making space for everyone to feel heard. I want people to know that I am available and approachable to everyone.
When people get emotional about something, it means they care
When people openly disagree or show their frustrations about something, it’s a sign that they care - about the product, the platform, and the people using it. A healthy community is one where it’s safe to disagree, where different opinions are welcomed, and where people can be passionate about something without fear of being misunderstood, labeled as a troublemaker, or becoming unpopular among others.
This, however, does not excuse poor behavior. Being enthusiastic about something is important, but respectful communication comes first. Creating a space where people can express strong opinions while staying kind is important.
Power dynamics exist everywhere, and it's important to be aware of them
In the forensic psychiatric ward, the power imbalance is obvious. Staff have keys; patients don’t. Staff creates the rules; patients follow them. Awareness of that imbalance - and softening it - was essential.
In tech communities, power dynamics are often more subtle, but they’re still very real. Long-time community members hold knowledge and connections that newcomers do not. They know the people - the CMS team, the MVPs, and the contributors who make Umbraco what it is. For someone new, this can make it intimidating to speak up, join a conversation, or participate in activities. I like to think that part of my role is to notice these dynamics and help level the playing field, making sure everyone feels welcome.
This isn’t about old-timers doing anything wrong. Many newcomers join the community without any issues, and the Umbraco Community is known for being friendly because - well - they are!
Still, in our society, some people are conditioned to feel hesitant, unsure, or less entitled to take up space in general or in a place where they don't have the knowledge or seniority that others do.
I like to think of it like this: It's not enough to create space for people to join - you need to actually reserve them a chair at the table.
What Working in Forensic Psychiatry Has Taught Me About the Umbraco Community
There are many things I don’t carry over from working in the forensic psychiatric ward to my role as a Community Manager at Umbraco. The knowledge I do carry with me is this:
- People are people
- Strong emotions means that people care - not that they want to cause trouble
- People are doing the best that they can with the tools that they have available
- Being present and available matters
- Power dynamics are real and it is often times not enough to just make space for new people - you need to reserve them a seat at the table
Lastly, the parallels I draw in this blog post are not about equating people or environments. Forensic psychiatry and open-source communities are very different worlds. What connects them, for me, are the universal human needs that show up wherever people come together, and how my previous work as a psychiatric nurse shaped my approach to supporting communities today.
tags: Umbraco, Developer Relations, DevRel, Career change, Community, Community management
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