# Is developer relations right for you?

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Blog
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## Summary:

* Differences between being a product-based software engineer
* Pros and cons of this move
* Signals in your own life are strong indicators that you might be successful in DevRel
* What the DevRel mindset is

## Scribbles

* The main focus of the blog is to focus on the ***engineering side of developer relations***.&#x20;

Difference between being a software engineer on a product and a software engineer in developer relations

### Software Engineering vs DevRel - The difference

#### **Time spent coding**&#x20;

* ***Product-based software engineer*** the majority of your time is spent working on&#x20;
  * features&#x20;
  * fixing bugs
  * writing tests
  * eliminating technical debt
  * writing design documents
* ***Engineer in developer relations***, there’s simply a lot less time to do all of this
  * developer relations teams are the connective tissue between 3rd party developers and the internal product and engineering teams
  * time spent on creating, building, and connecting with communities.
  * collecting feedback and working with your internal stakeholders to make sure the product is evolving to better serve the developer community

#### Size of coding projects

* ***not always be the case***, but generally speaking, the size of the coding projects in DevRel is smaller.
* building a proof of concept, a demo, a code snippet, or perhaps a client library
* your code itself is to be used by other developers within their own projects
* building a community, overhauling documentation, amplifying knowledge about a product through videos and speaking engagements -- less coding.&#x20;

#### Part of everything

* part engineer, part product manager, part marketer, and part business development.
* encounter a lot of different stacks
* have to be flexible and learning new stacks on the go.

#### Focused on people

* DevRel at its’ core is about people
* ***software engineering*** is often more about the code you produce
* a mix of a great engineer who connects with other engineers and has the respect of the internal teams at the same time caring about people (developers) and making them successful.

#### Evaluation of contributions

* ***software engineer’s*** impact is likely ***focused*** largely on ***technical contributions***
* ***For DevRel***
  * community growth/support
  * growth of product awareness
  * product influence
  * communication regarding product launches
  * delivery of technical content

### Pros

* Requires being good at **a different set of skills.**
* You have **a chance to see the world**.&#x20;
* You’ll be **closer to the people** who use the product.

### **Cons**

* There are **less DevRel jobs** than software engineering jobs.
* Most people understand the value a software engineer brings to a company, it’s not as clear in developer relations.
* There's a lot of explaining to do.&#x20;

### Signs to switch to DevRel

* Actively participated in or organized programming events, contests, hackathons, or workshops.
* Spoke at technical conferences or meetups.
* Have a mixed background of engineering and product or project management.
* Academic background or teaching experience of technical subjects.

#### *At the end of the day, it's all about the mindset, #DevRel being about people, the **mindset has to be one of empathy.** Their success is our success.*