GoKawiilIn December 2025 I wrote about my retirement from live streaming, which was once a valuable and very enjoyable part of my career in developer relations (DevRel). Since closing that chapter I have redesigned my website, launched a new side project, released some new music, and made a lot of space to reflect on the last five and a half years I’ve spent in DevRel and ultimately, my place in the technology industry.
On birds, nature, and being carefree
I recently spruced up my garden with a bird-feeding station and it has been an absolute joy to sit and watch nature at every opportunity. As I observe the wood pigeons, collared doves, gold crests, house sparrows, robins and a family of squirrels coexist peacefully and peck the seeds and munch on the nuts (even if the squirrels do often steal the bird food) I become painfully aware of how I’ve lived so much of my life on The Internet in the last six years. I also reflect on how much has changed in the technology industry throughout that time, how much negativity and weird stuff I am forced to consume every day as a result, and how much I yearn to be as carefree and alive as the nature that I love so much to sit and witness.
Before working in DevRel I was a tech lead for a small creative agency in Manchester, UK. At the time I was frustrated with how much of my time was taken up with meetings, presentations, sprint and stakeholder management, and how little time I had to dedicate to building and working on my craft as a front-end developer. As a self-taught engineer who worked incredibly hard to pivot from teaching music to a successful tech career, I moved to DevRel in 2021, which promised to give me the time and space to continue to hone my craft. At the time, this small niche of the tech industry offered me the opportunity to explore, learn and build through teaching. I couldn't believe what a perfect combination of my skills this type of job was at the time. It felt too good to be true, honestly.
The good parts of DevRel
The good parts of DevRel are really good. Throughout the years I’ve had the privilege of helping many people succeed through my teaching, mentoring and support, and at the same time, I’ve been able to build some fun projects and learn about The Web along the way. I even picked up some half-decent video editing skills. Through the opportunity to travel and speak at conferences, I’ve made some truly wonderful friends scattered around the world, who all come from different backgrounds and cultures, brought together through their shared love and passion for technology (or at least, what it used to be). As I reflect on the last five and a half years, I’ve found myself at the heart of a thriving network of technologists who all have each other’s back. And I will be eternally grateful for that.
Unfortunately, for me, the difficult parts have outweighed the good.
The difficult parts of DevRel
The approaches to effective DevRel can vary wildly depending on the individuals that make up a team and the company itself, but ultimately, the primary goal of a DevRel team is to inspire and educate a community to encourage product adoption, and to help users achieve meaningful outcomes with that product in as short a time as possible. Unfortunately, the nuances within this clear remit are often at odds with what business leaders require in terms of being able to measure success.
Arbitrary measures of success
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