Local tech entrepreneur earns his place in international book
Local software developer and trainer, Bilal Kathrada, has been given a rare honour of being featured in an internationally-published book.
The book, entitled “Developer, Advocate!”, authored by Geertjan Wielenga, senior principal product manager at Oracle, features 32 of the industry’s most prominent developer advocates, from companies including Oracle, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
These advocates run the gamut from working at large software vendors to small start-ups, along with independent developer advocates who work within organizations or for themselves. They describe what it’s like to turn a lifelong passion for knowledge sharing about tech into a rewarding career.
“It is truly an honour to have an entire chapter of the book written about me. Even to be mentioned alongside the likes of Scott Davis, Venkat Subramaniam and Matt Raibles, is a huge honour,” said Kathrada. “I am truly grateful to the author for considering me.”
Bilal Kathrada has spent the past 15 years teaching, lecturing and mentoring people in the field of software development. He was the winner of the Vodacom AppStar award in 2012, and currently runs IT varsity, a startup dedicated to empowering people with software development skills.
He is also a columnist for three major South African newspapers, The Cape Argus, The Daily News and The Star, where he writes about the latest trends in technology.
“I sincerely hope being featured in the book will give impetus to the work we are doing in South Africa,” said Kathrada. “Our vision is to transform the tech sector in the country by producing some of the best and most innovative tech minds. ”
Some of the questions answered in the book :
- What exactly is a developer advocate, and how do they connect developers and companies around the world?
- Why is the area of developer relations set to explode?
- Can anybody with a passion for tech become a developer advocate?
- What are the keys to success on a global scale?
- How does a developer advocate maintain authenticity when balancing the needs of their company and their tech community?
- What are the hot topics in areas including Java, JavaScript, “tech for good,” artificial intelligence, blockchain, the cloud, and open source?
What you will learn from the book :
- Discover how developer advocates are putting developer interests at the heart of the software industry in companies including Microsoft and Google
- Gain the confidence to use your voice in the tech community
- Immerse yourself in developer advocacy techniques
- Understand and overcome the challenges and obstacles facing developer advocates today
- Hear predictions from the people at the cutting edge of tech
- Explore your career options in developer advocacy
The book is available for purchase on Amazon :
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789138744/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_9RwQDb9182XNT
, or directly from the publishers, Packt Publishing.
