Tips for new starters

Geertjan Wielenga: Anyone reading this interview is inevitably going to want to know how to be just like you. What tips would you give somebody who wants to enter into this field?

Laurence Moroney: The number one thing that you need is passion. I think developer advocacy has to be something that you really love. It's not the kind of thing that means you can sit down and think that you will earn so much money if you do this or that. With that mindset, you just won't be good at it and you won't enjoy it.

Beyond passion, you need to be knowledgeable. You need to really understand the tech in depth. Finally, you need to be compassionate. You need to be able to walk a mile in someone's shoes so you can understand where they're coming from.

In practical terms, if you're not working for a big company, then get involved in tech communities and become a star in those communities. If you have those three attributes, that will just happen. When...