Networking Secrets to Propel Your Career Forward

Remote anywhere developer advocacy job at Meta, public speaking tips, purposeful career planning for greater outcomes, and so much more...

***A link to an article was missing - my bad, so I just updated it.

Is this a safe space? I ask, as I slide back into your lives, as if it hasn’t been eight months since we last met.

Before I officially welcome you to November, how have you been? It has been much longer than a minute **covers face🫣**. I hope my letter finds you well and ready for new opportunities and insights in technical communication.

In my last letter to you, I spoke about resuming the regular cadence and failed; woefully. Life has been extremely busy. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you’ll know I’ve been everywhere but here - Berlin, Copenhagen, and Barcelona to mention a few. But not to worry, I got a new PA, and can promise that some semblance of consistency will come upon this newsletter henceforth.

Some readers have mentioned their lack of experience in content writing due to the unavailability of gigs in their chosen fields. I have one thing to say: You cannot sit and wait for an opportunity to find you; you must make your own. If you decide that technical writing is your right path, take charge. Just write! Put yourself out there: write, upload, pitch, and apply. The next big opportunity awaits you.

Articles on the blog 🚀🚀

1. How to Become a Developer Advocate with Gift Egwuenu

Some weeks ago, I caught up with Gift Egwuenu, a celebrated public speaker, developer advocate, and tech content creator. I got her to spill the secrets of how she became a Developer Advocate, and how anyone can too. It’s the perfect read if you’re considering transitioning into developer advocacy. There are too many hidden gems you can’t afford to miss! Read it here.

2. Is it time to leave that Junior role?

I started a new series on the blog: Linda’s Career Tidbits. It’s a new series where I’ll be answering frequent career questions I’m asked. While these pieces may not be strictly focused on technical writing or technical communication careers, they would be generally helpful. If you have any of such questions you’d like to have me answer, reply or comment on this newsletter.

I’ve had the privilege of mentoring a couple of newbie professionals, and one question I’m often asked is, “At what point do I stop identifying as a junior professional?”. I answer that in this piece. Read it here and let me know what you think.

3. Public Speaking Hacks to Help You Give Engaging Presentations Worldwide

Public speaking is both an art and a science. In this piece, I share tips that have helped me give engaging presentations worldwide. If you’re trying to get into conference speaking (which by the way is one of the way to travel the world for free), you should read it here.

Job opportunities

• Technical Writer II: Up to $80,000 a year at SDV International (Remote Anywhere)

• Senior Developer Relations Advocate at ConsenSys: Full-time up to $200,000 annually (Remote, Oregon, United States)

• Developer Advocacy: Full-time senior role at Meta (Remote Anywhere)

• Draft.dev is seeking technical writers with DevOps engineering experience: Starting at $300 per 1,500 words (Remote Anywhere)

• Web Performance Advocate/Technical Writer at DebugBear (Remote Anywhere)

Interesting finds on the web

As usual, I've got some gems for you.

The first is a practical guide that details 25 battle-tested tips from top startup leaders on taking ownership of your professional future. Read this article to learn how to make the shift to the driver of your career journey.

💡 Quick Tip of the Month

My career hack for November is networking. We’ve all heard it, we’ve been told it’s essential for any successful career, but how does one network?

Angie Jones, a rockstar engineering leader, tweeted that networking is the career hack many are missing. I took the opportunity of asking how, so you don't have to (don't mention it, you're welcome), and in typical tech community spirit, so many experts chimed in to share how they've successfully networked.

I promise you, you’ll probably never find a better resource on networking that this. Go through the response to my comment and that of Angie’s quoted tweet to pick up some interesting practical and actionable ways to expand your network.

And that’s all I have for you for now.

Till I write you next time, stay good.

If you found this edition valuable, please leave a comment. I need the validation 🥺🙏🤲🙇🧎. Also, be your brothers keeper, share this newsletter with a technical writer, technical content writer or developer advocate you know. If they ask you why they should subscribe, show them this.