Latest / The Career Change Podcast with Fexingo: Switching Fields, Bootcamps, and Reskilling / How Bootcamp Grads Can Break Into Developer Relations
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this job title that's been popping up in tech job boards for a while now, and I think for bootcamp grads it might be one of the most underrated paths into the industry. I'm talking about Developer Relations, or DevRel as it's usually called. Luna: DevRel, that's the one where you go to conferences and hand out swag, right? I've seen those job posts. Seems like a party job. Lucas: That's exactly the misconception. I used to think the same thing. But I chatted with a DevRel manager at a major cloud platform, and she set me straight. Underneath the conference booth and the free t-shirts, DevRel is really about one thing: making developers successful with a product. The job title might be 'developer advocate' or 'developer evangelist' or 'community manager,' but the core is the same. Luna: So it's not just hanging out? That's a relief. What does a typical day look like then? Lucas: Right, so a typical day might involve writing sample code, creating tutorials, answering questions on forums or Discord, giving talks at meetups, and feeding feedback back to the engineering team. The goal is to make the 'developer experience' as smooth as possible. If a developer hits a wall with an API, the DevRel person is the one who figures out why and helps fix it, either by improving docs or advocating for a product change. Luna: That sounds a lot like teaching and customer support mixed together, with a bit of marketing. How does a bootcamp grad even get into that? Lucas: That's the great part. Bootcamp grads are actually a natural fit, because DevRel isn't about having a computer science degree. It's about communication, empathy, and the ability to explain technical concepts to people who are at different skill levels. And bootcamp grads have lived that experience. They know what it's like to struggle with a new framework, to search for a bug at two in the morning. That firsthand knowledge is gold. Luna: So you're saying the 'struggle' is actually a selling point? I like that. But how do you prove you can do the job if you've never had the title? Lucas: Start by doing the work without the title. Write a blog post about something you learned in your bootcamp, but make it genuinely helpful, not just a recap. Record a short video explaining a concept that tripped you up. Answer questions on Stack Overflow or in a Discord community. The key is to focus on the developer experience, not just showing off your code. Luna: That makes sense. So it's about building a portfolio of teaching and community, not just a GitHub full of projects. Lucas: Exactly. And one of the best ways is to contribute to open source, but not just by submitting pull requests. Look at the documentation, the issues, the community support channels. Improve the README, write a code comment, help a newbie get started. That's exactly what DevRel does on a larger scale. Companies notice that kind of engagement. Luna: I've also heard that public speaking is a big part of it. Is that a deal-breaker if you're terrified of stage fright? Lucas: It's a skill you can build. Start small. Present at a local meetup or a study group. Or even do a live stream with one other person. The DevRel manager I spoke with said she looks for people who are genuinely interested in helping others, not necessarily the most polished speakers. You can train the speaking part. Luna: Okay, so what about the salary? Is it comparable to a software engineering role? Lucas: From what I've seen on job boards and from talking to folks in the field, a DevRel role at a mid-size tech company can pay anywhere from ninety thousand to one hundred fifty thousand dollars a year, depending on the company and your experience. It's competitive with engineering, though maybe not the top-end of a senior engineer at a large tech company. But the trade-off is the variety and the human interaction. Luna: That's a solid salary. And I imagine there's a lot of travel? Conferences, meetups, that sort of thing. Lucas: It can be, but it's not as glamorous as it sounds. There's a lot of prep work, and you're often on your feet all day. Plus, you're away from home a lot. But if you like meeting people and sharing ideas, it's a great fit. Just be aware of the burnout risk. The best DevRel folks are really good at setting boundaries. Luna: That's a good point. It's not all swag and fun. But I'm curious, what are some common misconceptions that you hear about DevRel? Lucas: Probably that it's not a 'real' engineering job. But the best DevRel folks have deep technical chops. They can write production-quality code, debug, even contribute to the product itself. It's just that their primary output is enabling others, not shipping features. And there's also this myth that you need to be an extrovert. Introverts can be amazing at DevRel because they're great listeners and can deeply understand user pain points. Luna: So if someone listening is a bootcamp grad who loves teaching, likes talking to people, and wants to stay technical, this could be a real path. But how do you actually land that first DevRel role without any experience? Lucas: Here's where you can get creative. Find a small startup or an open-source project that you love. Offer to help with their community. Create content, answer questions, run a workshop. Make yourself indispensable. Then, when they're ready to hire someone for DevRel, you're the obvious choice. Or you can apply for a customer-facing role like support engineer or solutions engineer, and pivot from there. Luna: That's a clever strategy. It's like building your own on-ramp instead of waiting for the perfect job posting. Lucas: Exactly. And I think one thing that helps is to treat your job search like a DevRel project. Document your journey, share your wins and your failures. That itself is proof of your skills. Luna: I like that. Speaking of documentation, I remember when I was learning to code, a blog post by a bootcamp grad was the thing that finally made recursion click for me. It was so clear and empathetic. I bet that person went on to do something like DevRel. Lucas: That's the spirit. And somebody listening might be that person. If you've been thinking about what to do after your bootcamp, and you enjoy explaining things, DevRel might be worth exploring. Luna: And if you're listening and this episode helped you see a possible path, maybe you could think about supporting the show. We love keeping these conversations free and accessible, and listener support makes that possible. If today was worth a coffee to you, there's a link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. And it truly helps us keep going. Lucas: Yeah, honestly, it's the simplest way to say thanks and keep the podcast ad-free. No pressure, but if you can, we appreciate it. Luna: But back to DevRel. One more thing: I've seen some job postings that ask for 'evangelist' or 'advocate' in the title. Are those all the same? Lucas: They're closely related, but there can be subtle differences. An evangelist often focuses on spreading the word and generating excitement, while an advocate is more about supporting and being the voice of the developer inside the company. But in practice, many companies use them interchangeably. What matters is the job description, not the title. Luna: Good to know. So, what's the one thing you want listeners to take away from this? Lucas: That DevRel is a real, viable career that leverages a lot of the skills bootcamp grads already have. You don't need a computer science degree. You need curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to help. And if you start building that portfolio of teaching and community work now, you could be a strong candidate in six months. Luna: I love that. It's like turning your bootcamp struggle into a superpower. Thanks, Lucas, that was really helpful. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. And for everyone listening, if you're thinking about making a career change, take a small step this week. Write that blog post, answer a question, record a video. You never know where it might lead.