If you're a developer advocate, you probably know how important it is to invest in yourself.

Without the right skills and knowledge, it can be hard to get ahead in your career as a developer advocate. 

And if you want to become one of the best developer advocates out there, then learning even more about what makes up that community will help you do just that! 

We've put together this list of resources for developers who want to become experts at promoting themselves online and helping other developers succeed at building websites or apps using their skills.

What Is a Developer Advocate?

A developer advocate is someone who helps developers use your product. They can be software engineers, marketing people, or both.

The best developer advocates are familiar with the product and able to explain it in an engaging way. They should also be able to write documentation so other people can learn more about using their platform or toolset.

Developer advocates are more than just technical writers, though. They should be able to use their knowledge of the product to explain its features and benefits in ways that resonate with developers. 

It’s also important for them to have an understanding of the challenges that developers face, so they can communicate solutions in a way that makes sense.

What Skills Do You Need to Be a Developer Advocate?

The exact skills you need will vary depending on the type of developer advocate role you’re applying for.

But, there are some general requirements that apply to all jobs in this field. It’s important to have strong communication skills and an ability to clearly explain complicated concepts. 

A developer advocate should also be able to empathize with developers and understand how they think. It’s essential that you can create compelling content, whether it’s a blog post or a video tutorial.

It’s also important to be knowledgeable about the technology you’re promoting. You should have an understanding of how it works and what makes it unique. 

This will help you provide useful advice and answer questions from developers who are new to the field.

What are the steps to becoming a Developer advocate? 

These are the steps mentioned below to become a Developer Advocate.

For resources I will suggest you choose your preferred stack and click here - you’ll find more than 100+ free resources to learn the basics of programming and become a pro.

There are many resources so it wouldn't be possible to list all of them here. 

1. Master the basics of programming

Mastering the basics of programming is a great way to get started.

In general, it's important to learn how to code in at least one language and one that you enjoy.

If you're new to the field, choosing an introductory course can help teach you the fundamentals of programming like data structures and algorithms.

If this isn't something that interests you or if your schedule doesn't allow for it (or not enough time), then consider taking some online courses, there are many people following the same. 

2. Learn web programming and APIs

Learning web programming and APIs is a must if you want to become a developer advocate.

• Learn the basics of web programming. This includes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• You should also be able to write your own simple functions in JavaScript (which will help you understand how developers work).
• Learn how to use APIs in order to access data from other websites or services like Google Maps or Facebook Live videos that are not available on the current website itself (for example). It's important to learn how to use APIs because they can be used by developers to create new features, or even build a completely new product.

3. Write documentation and blog posts

Documentation is important for developers and companies, as well as the industry, world and future.

The developer advocate role requires a lot of creativity and technical knowledge. You can use your writing skills(link) to help other developers learn more about programming languages by creating documentation.

Documentation should also be used to explain how to use new tools or libraries in an easy way so that everyone can understand the information without having any prior experience with them (and if they do have some experience).

To learn Documenting, these resources will help

1. documenting4learning.com/
2. docsfordevelopers.com/ 
3. A beginner’s guide to writing documentation
4. How to Write Articles as a Developer?

4. Create presentations and other marketing content

A developer advocate is a role that requires you to engage with your audience and create content that can be used in presentations, blog posts, and other marketing materials.

You need to understand the audience you’re trying to reach, what they want out of their search experience and how you can help them achieve it.

The best way to do this is by asking yourself some questions:

• Who am I talking about?
• What does my target audience want?
• Why are they searching for information like this?
• How will I help them find what they need?

5. Learn social media marketing for developers

Social media is a great way to build your brand and community as a developer advocate. If you’re not already on social media, it’s time to start building your presence!

What are the best social media platforms for developer advocates? There are many options out there: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and so on.

The key thing is that you have a presence in each one of them because they all serve different purposes. For example, LinkedIn is great for finding new opportunities within other companies but doesn't help much with recruiting people outside of your company (which would be better done through Twitter).

So pick which platforms make sense based on what type of content gets published most often.

How do I use social media effectively when trying to grow my brand as a developer advocate?

The first step toward growing any business online is getting yourself noticed—and this means creating something valuable enough people will want more from you than just another link back on their website!

Here are some tips:

• Write a blog post that compiles all of your top tips for using a specific tool or technology—and then share it on social media.
• Share your own posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other platforms. 
• Create an email newsletter that you send out once a week or month with the latest tips from your blog and any other content you think might be interesting to your audience.

7. Improve your networking skills and start networking in the developer community

Networking is a skill you can learn, but it doesn't come naturally to most people. That's why I've included this section.

As a developer advocate, you'll be spending most of your time talking with developers and non-developers about what they do and how they do it—so networking is an essential skill for you to master!

If you want to be an effective developer advocate, then you'll need to know how to network effectively. Why?

Because developers (and other people in your community) can help you solve problems and achieve goals that you couldn't do on your own.

The best way to build a network is by being a good listener. Asking questions and listening attentively are powerful tools that will help you develop relationships with people in your community.

The next time you're at an event or meetup, try spending more time listening than talking.

Here are some free resources that will help you in networking

• Developer marketing guide (by a dev tool startup CMO)
• Guide to Professional Networking for Developers

8. Get to know your developers and the communities you work with

Developers are your customers. They're the ones who create apps and websites, so it's important to get to know them as people, not just as a number on a spreadsheet.

Developers are also partners in your business. They help you grow by sharing their knowledge and expertise with you, which helps you succeed in the long run.

Developers are users of your product—and they can be great sources of feedback if you ask! 

The best developers will tell all kinds of stories about how things went wrong during development or what worked well for them during testing (or both).

This information will help make sure that any new features or changes don't break existing functionality in unexpected ways down the road when an update comes out.

Some free resources 

• https://devrelcollective.fun/
• https://www.commonroom.io/ 
• https://tinyletter.com/developeravocados 

There are many resources for learning these skills, but you have to choose good ones that will help you get ahead in your career as a developer advocate

When it comes to learning new skills, there are many ways you can go about it. You can read books, watch videos and attend workshops. 

You could also do something that involves interacting with people in your community—like volunteering or contributing code to open-source projects.

Whatever method you choose, make sure that it will help you become a better developer advocate!

Conclusion

The world of tech is changing rapidly, and developers are in high demand. If you want to be part of this exciting industry, there’s no better time than now to start learning about new trends and making yourself an asset for your company. 

The resources listed above are great starting points for beginners who want to get started on their journey toward becoming a developer advocate or developer evangelist, whatever the company says 😉

Special thanks to Rahul for creating this well-researched article, he is a Developer Advocate himself, and he loves to code, write blogs and build side projects

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