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The Hard Parts of Developer Advocacy (for me)

Rizèl Scarlett on July 06, 2022

Pivoting from software engineering to developer advocacy is the best career decision I have ever made. My life already changed for the better when ...
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Lucia Cerchie

I'm sorry that people who speak from their own insecurity send you comments like that. Know that I admire you for your technical skill and your authenticity. <3

This is a great piece, I'd recommend it to anyone considering the pros and cons of Developer Advocacy.

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spO0q

I'm sorry that people who speak from their own insecurity send you comments like that

It's very well put!

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Rizèl Scarlett

agreed!

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Rizèl Scarlett

Thank you Lucia. Such touching words!!! I never really thought of it that way..that they're just projecting their own insecurities.

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spO0q • Edited

Love the post: informative, honest, balanced.

Comments can be problematic. On the one hand, feedback is always appreciated, but I've seen what I called unnecessary negativity a lot these days. Dunno if it's the right expression, but it describes how some people do not read what authors write, deliberately or not.

Instead, they usually nit-pick small details in the post.

For example, the author might write "my approach has some inconveniences and limitations," but as some "readers" don't take the time to read the post completely, they might say "your approach is limited."

This often ends up in a very weird and non-constructive dialog that can last forever.

Fortunately, the vast majority of comments do not belong to this category, but still, it can be time-consuming, perhaps discouraging, for content creators.

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Rizèl Scarlett

Thank you for reading it and coming to that conclusion.

And yesss, that's exactly what's happening. People focus on these little nitpicks, and I'm like did you miss the entire point of this post? Good perspective to think about because maybe there are ways I can communicate to readers/ content consumers that they don't miss the big picture.

Either way, sometimes like you said..people deliberately ignore the truth..so I just have to ignore their comments. I'll just focus on the positive comments or the comments with constructive feedback!

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Shai Almog

Very much agreed!!!

Metrics are my main source of pain. Trying to communicate the value of the work, but also to evaluate it for my own sake. It's frustrating.

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Andy Piper

Absolutely. I'm with you on this, and I'm lucky to work with some folks who are much better at finding ways to define our work in ways that are key in terms of driving understanding of the value it brings. I'm not a great lover of the metrics myself, I'll openly admit.

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Rizèl Scarlett

me too! I lean on my managers and senior coworkers a lot for this part.

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Rizèl Scarlett

I hope DevRel continues to evolve and we learn better ways to measure our impact!

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Amara Graham

"Companies make decisions that upset users." This was a HUGE issue for me at previous companies. If I was the liason between the user community and the company, was I supported and enabled to tell both sides these decisions are not the best for the users. If I can't do that, particularly external, I'm out.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

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Rizèl Scarlett • Edited

That bullet point was the scariest to write for me..but like it's true..sometimes companies make awkward decisions. And I love how you worded it "was I supported and enabled to tell both sides these decisions are not best for users."

To be honest, I think my company does have that support..I just haven't found out how to do it. It's time for me to really start advocating for developers 💪🏿

Thanks for reading my thoughts!

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Matt Jennings

I hear you on worrying about your facial expression on Zoom. When on Zoom I get paranoid about what my own face looks like when watching someone speak or viewing a presentation.

I think that's because when at a place in person I don't usually stare at someones face. Yet on Zoom I can look at someones face which is staring right at mine!

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Rizèl Scarlett

yep that's exactly it! I have an even harder time on livestreams. Because now hundreds of people will see me struggling with my facial expressions 😂

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The Spider

I agree with everything you say except for this one:

because we live in a capitalist society. We are victims of capitalism

I think its the lack of governance in free markets that allows corruption to take place. The active main role of government is to prevent monopolies, prevent fraud and to ensure that business doesn't harm the environment etc.

The examples you gave are more about companies lying than it is about the idea of having free markets (what capitalism is all about)

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Rizèl Scarlett

Ah, I enjoy your perspective on that. I didn't really think of it that way.

Wait but just to be clear..my example is not really about companies lying..I think.
I tried to stay vague to avoid controversy, but I was more thinking of companies not keeping developers at the forefront, and focusing more on the monetary value.

But I think your comment on free markets still applies here! You're right.

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James Q Quick

Dammmmmmn, the truth and power of this article. Love it!!

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Rizèl Scarlett

Thank you!!

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Apoorva CG

More power to you and everyone trying to make it happen 💪😀

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Rizèl Scarlett

Thank you so much! Likewise!

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Vincent Amstoutz • Edited

Amazing job and amazing article 😍, continue and f*** the haters 😂

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Rizèl Scarlett

Thank you and you right!!! 😆

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aayush

Things Are Not Always What They Seem. Thanks for writing it.

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Gisele

I loved it !! I see myself in some of these situations, and I can't agree more with you. In the hard part, challenges, and loving the journey at the same time

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Rizèl Scarlett

I'm glad you loved it. Thank you so much. DevRel is such a worthwhile journey, but not the easiest one. It's nice to know there are other folks who can relate with me.

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varadanAneesh • Edited

"The community is so supportive" you are exceptionally blessed to be in such a condition.

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Rizèl Scarlett

I am blessed!

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Codename: Steeve Knight

VERY interesting and "on the sleve".
Thank you @blackgirlbytes !

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Isabel Costa

This is a very insightful post! Thank you for sharing this Rizèl!