Explore Hacktoberfest, DevRel careers, and behind-the-scenes insights from Tessa’s journey on building open source communities and developer advocacy.
Episode Description
Explore Hacktoberfest, DevRel careers, and behind-the-scenes insights from Tessa’s journey on building open source communities and developer advocacy.
Episode Summary
In this discussion, Tessa from Appwrite shares her experiences in maintaining a flourishing open source community during Hacktoberfest, shedding light on the challenges and rewards of handling numerous pull requests and contributors. She emphasizes the importance of transparent communication, fair assignment of issues, and balancing personal workload with community engagement. Moving into her career in DevRel, Tessa explains how a blend of technical skills, teaching experience, and mentorship paved her path, offering specific advice for aspiring advocates and those hiring DevRel talent. She highlights the value of junior advocates, what to look for when building a DevRel team, and the power of connecting company goals with community goals. Throughout, she touches on the evolving nature of conferences, both virtual and in-person, and how the future of developer advocacy is poised to become an integral, well-understood component of any tech-focused organization.
Chapters
00:00 - 02:55 Introduction and Beginning of Episode
This opening segment sets the stage by welcoming listeners to another edition of JavaScript Jam, a weekly live show geared toward developers of all levels. The hosts briefly introduce themselves and encourage audience participation, emphasizing that the best insights often surface when community members ask questions or share opinions. The episode’s laid-back, inclusive atmosphere quickly becomes apparent, as new attendees are warmly greeted and technical topics are casually teased. There is also a quick update on scheduling and how discussions will unfold, indicating that the first part of this session focuses on a special guest, Tessa, while the second part invites broader contributions from all listeners. By the end of these first few minutes, the tone for a friendly yet informative discussion is firmly set, with everyone primed to dive into Hacktoberfest details and DevRel insights.
02:56 - 07:00 Guest Introduction and Background
In this chapter, Tessa formally steps into the spotlight, sharing her role as a DevRel professional at Appwrite and providing a concise overview of her background. The conversation shifts toward Hacktoberfest, offering general context for anyone unfamiliar with the month-long celebration of open source contributions. Tessa explains how she and her team at Appwrite initially approached Hacktoberfest planning, coordinating special events to involve their community and promote open source participation. She highlights how Appwrite’s open source nature not only accelerates contributions but also offers a unique path for developers looking to get involved in the project. The hosts and Tessa set the tone for a deeper exploration into what goes on behind the scenes of Hacktoberfest and how DevRel fits into it all.
07:00 - 14:00 Maintaining Hacktoberfest Projects
Here, Tessa offers a behind-the-scenes look at the immense workload and careful organization needed to manage a thriving Hacktoberfest project. She describes the collaborative effort between Appwrite’s DevRel and engineering teams, illustrating how they tag issues, review pull requests, and ensure fair opportunities for contributors of varying skill levels. Tessa also explains the processes for limiting repetitive fixes, such as grammar-only changes, so that new contributors can take on meaningful improvements without competing unfairly. The discussion highlights the delicate balance between fostering inclusive open source engagement and maintaining a high standard of contributions. As Tessa walks listeners through Appwrite’s experience with hundreds of incoming pull requests, she underscores the crucial role of transparent communication and timely feedback, revealing what it really takes to cultivate a successful Hacktoberfest campaign from the maintainer’s perspective.
14:00 - 24:00 Breaking into DevRel
Transitioning from Hacktoberfest, this segment dives into Tessa’s personal journey into DevRel, emphasizing how her background in teaching and software development converged. She recounts the tipping point of realizing that developer advocacy was a career path worth pursuing, inspired by an industry peer who recognized her skill set. Tessa underscores the importance of mentorship, illustrating how just 30 minutes of guidance helped her target her strengths and build a more compelling professional profile. Practical tips emerge for those looking to break in: creating content, building a public portfolio, and speaking at community events. Tessa also touches on her initial challenges, like facing dismissive interviews and learning to pivot by demonstrating value through hands-on examples. By the end of this chapter, listeners gain a tangible checklist for their own DevRel aspirations.
24:00 - 33:00 Hiring for DevRel
Here, the conversation flips to the employer’s perspective on how companies should approach hiring DevRel talent. Tessa shares her process for evaluating resumes and assessing both technical and cultural fit. She highlights the significance of a portfolio or public body of work—whether that’s written articles, videos, or code—to demonstrate a candidate’s communication style and expertise. Tessa emphasizes that traditional metrics, like large social media followings, do not necessarily translate to success in a DevRel role. Instead, authenticity, eagerness to learn, and strong collaboration skills often hold greater weight. The chapter also delves into how an organized interview process can accommodate junior and senior DevRel candidates alike, offering different challenges to match their skill levels.
33:00 - 46:00 Junior vs. Senior DevRel and Team Dynamics
Building on the hiring discussion, Tessa further explores the unique value junior DevRels can bring to a team. With anecdotes illustrating their eagerness and rapid growth potential, she explains why companies should not overlook talent that’s still growing their personal brand. Mentorship is painted as a two-way street, where senior advocates can refine their own leadership skills while junior hires expand their abilities in technical content, communication, and community-building. Tessa compares her experiences working on large teams with more uniform seniority versus teams blending junior and senior members, highlighting the synergy that diverse levels of experience can produce. The conversation also touches on practical strategies for onboarding new DevRel hires, from providing clear guidance on goals to fostering an environment where questions are welcomed rather than discouraged.
46:00 - 52:00 DevRel and Conferences
In this portion, Tessa and the hosts address the conference circuit, looking at how shifting from constant travel to virtual events has affected the DevRel field. Tessa explains the fatigue that can arise from both in-person and purely online conferences, noting the sacrifice of personal time, as well as the loss of direct human interaction when everything moves virtual. They discuss the importance of networking, spontaneous conversations, and emotional connection—factors that can be muted over digital platforms. While hybrid events offer a promising balance, Tessa highlights how DevRel practitioners must be strategic about which gatherings they attend, taking into account both personal well-being and measurable outcomes, such as brand exposure or community engagement.
52:00 - 58:24 Future of DevRel & Wrap Up
Closing out the episode, Tessa shares her forward-looking vision for developer relations. She predicts that as technology companies increasingly recognize the necessity of nurturing developer communities, DevRel teams will become standard fixtures rather than experimental additions. She foresees a future where executives fully grasp the importance of DevRel, eliminating the question of whether these teams should exist at all. Instead, the focus will be on where to integrate DevRel—within engineering, marketing, or as a standalone department—and how to align it with broader company goals. The hosts and Tessa wrap up by reiterating key takeaways on community management, personal career development, and the power of DevRel to bridge gaps between technology creators and users. The episode concludes on a high note, encouraging listeners to continue exploring open source, contributing to Hacktoberfest, and pursuing fulfilling roles in developer advocacy.