Developer advocacy and students

Venkat Subramaniam: I would say that even outside of education, developer advocacy isn't well known. I spent years after college as a working professional, and even though it's fair to say that I started working before the time of the internet and browsers, developer advocacy wasn't talked about. Maybe today it's much more prevalent in the industry.

I think we need a lot more integration of what's happening in the industry with the academic world. Students are not generally aware of job roles in the industry once they graduate. They don't know that it's possible to inspire and influence developers.

Geertjan Wielenga: You've been mentioned by several of the other interviewees as being someone who inspires them, but what was your own path to where you are now?

Venkat Subramaniam: It was a thoroughly interesting journey. A few decades ago, I was on a student visa and finishing up my Ph.D. at the University...