Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, I am Aditya Oberai, a DevRel Engineer at Appwrite and a senior pursuing Computer Science and Engineering at Amity University, Noida in India. I have been actively working with and supporting student tech communities and hackathon spaces in India through various community programs such as the Twilio Champions, Major League Hacking Coaches, Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors, and the Google Developer Student Clubs. I have also been awarded the Azure Heroes “Community Hero” and “AI Ambassador” Digital Badgers by Microsoft and actively evangelize .NET being a member of the .NET Foundation. I, collaborating with various other student community leaders, organized the largest student-led digital hackathon in India, HackOn 2.0. For my contributions to the hackathon space, I was named among Major League Hacking’s Top 50 hackers of 2021.
What do you feel is the most important part of your job?
I believe that DevRel folks are the ones who bridge the gap between a product and its community. The responsibility may be accomplished by creating more content, building new sample solutions, engaging and interacting with community members, or by other means, but it is necessary to always remember the gravity of that responsibility.
A very necessary part of being a strong bridge, in my opinion, is that you should understand and like the product yourself. For me, if I don’t like the product, it is genuinely difficult endorsing that because as someone in DevRel, you can impact people and organizations’ journeys, so you need to carry that responsibility on your shoulders in an ethical manner.
What is something you’re struggling with?
As someone who has very recently joined the DevRel world professionally, there are occasions where my impostor syndrome can bear down on me. At those times, it can be really difficult for me to believe in my ability to work and support the community. Fortunately for me, I have had an incredible support system of colleagues and friends who back me up whenever I need them. I’m very grateful to my teammates at Appwrite for being a genuinely amazing bunch of people who are always willing to help whenever needed. The people you keep around you make all the difference!
Tell us about a time you were inspired by someone or something in DevRel.
I have had the fortune of finding some incredible mentors throughout my journey in tech communities. Shun Uno and Ankita Mishra of Progate (where I formerly interned) are genuinely kind-hearted and amazing and I always loved working with them to support Progate’s community. Yashraj Nayak and Paras Pundir have been amazing mentors who helped me better understand the community space professionally here in India and are always willing to help and support me whenever I need them. Santosh Yadav is an open-source advocate who I look up to a lot, not just because of his technical abilities but his humility and dedication to his craft.
What’s one change you’d like to see in DevRel?
DevRel, in my opinion, is not just a professional domain but a philosophy. I did not wake up one day and decide that I would like to be a DevRel professional one day. I began engaging in communities, improving my technical abilities, mentoring my peers, eventually leading community initiatives, and realized I was doing DevRel along the way. It is so much more than just a job that so many people can do and are already doing but don’t realize. Creating more awareness around this front can potentially not just open this world to so many more people than those interested right now, but also enable a lot more to take their first steps. I truly believe that everyone can do DevRel and hope to see this domain grow from a fortunate few to so many more in the times to come.