Square L5 SWE -> Google L5 DevRel Eng
Currently work as an L5 SWE at Square, TC was 300k before stock was slaughtered. Was recently approached for a DevRel role at Google for a platform I'm very much interested in. Curious how the experience transitioning from SWE to DevRel, is it considered a step down? Pros/Cons appreciated
I am very familiar with DevRel at Google. They are a really fun bunch and there is a lot of variability on how much code they write! I’d recommend asking the recruiter if you can talk more with the manager and with other Devrelers at Google to understand how much coding there is in the role (if coding is important to you), and pros and cons. Afaik Bukola is in one of the less technical DevRel roles - her experience isn’t necessarily representative of all DevRel but agree to watch her videos! Last thing I will say is that internal mobility at google isn’t super hard and getting easier over time. I know devrelers who have become SWEs at Google or PMs or tPgMs and some folks switch roles a couple times. I also know a fair amount of Google SWEs who switch to DevRel because they find it much more fun and rewarding! At the end of the day this is your decision to make. Collect as much info on google DevRel as you can, talk to different devrelers if you can, and make the best decision you can. If you are genuinely interested in the role and area it may be quite fulfilling!
You have any insight into the WLB and amount of travel needed for devrel? Also what types of places/cities will you be travelling to mostly
Thank you this was very insightful
It is a step down objectively in terms of technical work and probably growth but if you’re not chasing TC and you’re genuinely interested in devrel/teaching/communication you’d probably feel happier doing that job. Just be aware that it might be hard transitioning back to SWE in the future and you might not write any code at all except for example snippets. See Bukola’s video on devrel on YouTube.