Learn to Advocate for Yourself as a Developer - Career Advice from Rizel Scarlett

Explore a 37-minute interview with Rizel Scarlett, a Staff Developer Advocate at TBD, as she shares her journey from psychology dropout to IT support, coding, and ultimately developer advocacy. Gain insights into learning to code, pursuing internships, and the importance of community in tech education. Discover strategies for personal branding, including tips for public speaking, blog writing, and networking, even for introverts. Learn about the value of diverse job experiences, the role of supportive management, and how to advocate for yourself in the tech industry. Benefit from Rizel's advice on career pivots, pacing your learning journey, and documenting your achievements.

Why Rizel switched from psychology to IT and, later, to coding
Rizel tried many different jobs. Here’s why that’s not a bad thing!
How Rizel approached learning to code
Community and camaraderie are important parts of learning to code
How Rizel decided to enroll in a bootcamp
On learning to code with your significant other
Thinking like a programmer comes with practice
Why Rizel pursued internships
Why connections are important
What was Rizel’s internship experience like
What should you look for in an internship or your first job?
Break
What juniors bring to the table
How Rizel discovered developer advocacy and got hired as a developer advocate at GitHub
What does a supportive manager do
How Rizel approaches personal branding
You can’t expect people to find you. The best person to advocate for you is you
How to work on your public speaking
How to work on your writing and how Rizel approaches writing blog posts
How to get involved with the community
Closing advice: it’s okay to switch your focus, take your time, and maintain a list of your wins!