Engineer to Evangelist - Embracing the Unknown in a New Role

The title "developer evangelist" conjures up images of tech rockstars, spreading the gospel of innovation at conferences and meetups. But for those stepping into this role, especially within an organization new to the concept, reality can be a wild ride filled with challenges, self-discovery, and the constant push to redefine your place in the tech world.

Facing the Unknown: Building a Plane While Flying It

One of the biggest hurdles for aspiring developer evangelists is the lack of a clear roadmap. Unlike established roles, this position often takes shape organically. Imagine being the first developer evangelist at a company – you're charting new territory, defining success metrics, and building relationships with internal and external stakeholders, all while learning the ropes yourself. It's exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.

Stepping Away from Code: A Bittersweet Transition

For engineers with a deep passion for coding, the shift to a more outward-facing role can be a struggle. You might feel the urge to constantly prove your technical chops, especially within a new team. But a strong developer evangelist bridges the gap, not replaces the coder. It's about leveraging your technical expertise to understand developer needs and translate those insights into compelling communication that fosters community.

Collaboration is King: Finding Your Place in the Process

The developer evangelist role thrives on collaboration. You'll need to work seamlessly with marketing, customer success, product, and engineering teams, each with its own priorities and goals. Learning to navigate these internal dynamics and find your niche within the process loop is crucial. Sometimes, this means advocating for external developer needs within product discussions, while at other times, it's about explaining complex features to non technical audiences in a way that resonates with the developer audience.

First Challenges: Learning from Inevitable Stumbles

Mistakes are inevitable, especially as you carve your path in this new role. You might misjudge an audience's needs, struggle to deliver a compelling talk, or even miss an important industry trend. But these stumbles are valuable lessons. Embrace the feedback, analyze what went wrong, and adapt your approach.

The Imposter Within: Embracing the New Identity

The constant pressure to succeed can lead to anxiety, particularly when transitioning from a hands-on engineering role. You might feel like you constantly need to prove yourself, both to the developer community and to your internal team. But remember, the skills that made you a great engineer – problem-solving, communication, and a passion for technology – are exactly what can make you a valuable developer evangelist.

A Fork in the Road: From Lead Engineer to Evangelist

Here's the thing – the path to becoming a developer evangelist isn't always linear. In fact, it might surprise you where the seeds of this passion are first sown. For me, it wasn't an immediate call. It was during my stint as a Lead API engineer that I unknowingly took a step towards this role. Working with external stakeholders ignited a spark within me. I realized how much I enjoyed not just building great technology, but also supporting the developers who used it. Witnessing the impact a well-designed API and strong community support had on their success was incredibly rewarding. This is what truly solidified my desire to bridge the gap between creators and users, ultimately leading me to the developer evangelist path.

The Learning Curve of Complexity: A Few Months In

Even just a few months into this role, I'm constantly learning. The complexity of a product can be daunting, but it's also what makes the challenge so exciting. Every day brings new opportunities to delve deeper and understand how developers can best utilize our technology. There's a constant push to stay ahead of the curve and anticipate developer needs.

The Unsung Heroes: Collaboration Beyond Borders

Through this journey, I've come to appreciate the invaluable support from across the organization. The product, support, and engineering teams have been instrumental in helping me grasp the intricacies of what we build. But a special thanks needs to go out to the tech writers I collaborate with on a daily basis. Their dedication to clear and concise documentation is what empowers me to effectively translate complex features into digestible knowledge for developers.

The Power of Perspective: The Enablement Advantage

One thing that often raises eyebrows is my belonging to the enablement team. While many expect developer evangelists to be embedded within product or engineering, I've discovered a unique advantage in this placement. Being outside these teams allows for a more objective perspective. I'm not overly protective of the product; instead, I'm focused on understanding the developer experience and advocating for their needs. This, I believe, strengthens the bridge I'm building between our company and the developer community.

Embracing Vulnerability: Stepping Out with a Supportive Culture

Transitioning into a new role, especially one as multifaceted as developer evangelism, can be a challenging experience. You might feel exposed, lacking the deep knowledge base you had in your previous engineering role. But within a supportive and healthy company culture, this vulnerability can become a catalyst for growth.

The road of a developer evangelist is paved with challenges and triumphs. But for those with the right combination of technical knowledge, communication skills, and a passion for building communities, it's a journey of immense personal and professional growth. So, are you ready to take the leap and become a developer evangelist?

Published by Kostas Petrakis

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