It's been 6 months since I joined Convex as a Developer Experience Engineer, so I thought it was time to share what I've been up to and how things are going.

What Is Convex Again?

Quick reminder: Convex is a developer-focused database and cloud compute platform. Think Firebase, Supabase, AWS, that kind of thing.

I decided to join them because some time ago I fell in love with their solution and started shilling it at every opportunity.

When Gangbusters unfortunately ran out of funding, I thought I'd push my luck and see if they'd take me on, despite living on the other side of the planet.

After a few rounds of interviews, they brought me on as a trial... and well, I haven't been fired yet, so I think I'm doing okay :)

What have I been doing?

When I joined, I knew roughly what the role entailed: creating content to attract new developers and help others understand and thrive with Convex.

What I didn't know was exactly what content I should be creating.

I started by writing a few blog posts (Convex calls these stack posts):

• Convex: The Database that Made Me Switch Careers
• Code Spelunking: Uncovering Convex's API Generation Secrets
• 6 Tips for improving your Cursor Composer and Convex Workflow
• Why Convex Queries are the Ultimate Form of Derived State

These were great, but since plenty of other folks at Convex were writing high-quality blog posts, it was suggested that I start making video content for their YouTube channel.

Despite having virtually no experience making educational videos, I dove right in.

At first, the videos were pretty rough...

The lighting was terrible, the framing was bad, and the text on screen was too small, not to mention the various audio issues and artifacts.

Over the next few months, though, I steadily upgraded my setup and process.

So far, I've created 17 long-form videos, 11 short-form videos, and 5 stack posts.

If you're interested, here's where I'm tracking it all: https://mikeysee.notion.site/Mikes-Completed-Convex-Content-1fafd70ecfa080c7814bf5239168530c?pvs=4

I should mention that I've also been doing some non-content work: documentation, fixing and upgrading features, and customer/community support. But content creation has been my main focus.

Things I'm discovering about myself

This position has pushed me way out of my comfort zone. For 6 years at Gangbusters, I was in my happy place, just sitting at my keyboard, coding away, barely talking to anyone.

Now I have to be more charismatic and dynamic on camera. I need to think on my feet, explain things clearly yet concisely, and keep it entertaining. It's a lot to juggle when I'm used to taking my time with problems.

I catch myself comparing myself to other content creators like Theo Browne, Web Dev Cody, or Primeagen, but I'm slowly realizing that I don't need to be like them, and that's okay.

Theo's ability to pump out content while working full-time is phenomenal. I'm in awe of how he confidently explains complex topics while keeping it entertaining, all at a pace of one video per day.

I'm currently aiming for 2+ videos per week. My videos typically involve research, script writing, coding, filming, and editing.

The research and coding feel natural and fun, as they should, given my career background.

The script writing and filming, however, are more challenging.

There are two main approaches: either script everything and read it back, or write brief notes and ad-lib.

While I don't mind scripting and reading, there's a knack to making it sound natural rather than like you're reading from a prompter (which I usually am). It's tricky, and I'm still working on it.

Ad-libbing videos leaves me feeling stressed and pressured, worried that I'm not saying what I meant to say, or that I'm rambling, or not sounding confident enough. This is definitely an area for improvement. Maybe more public speaking would help me gain confidence speaking without a script?

How's the remote thing going?

Well, there are two parts to that question: how's it going for me, and how's it going for Convex?

For me, it's fine. I've been working remotely for nearly a decade, so I'm comfortable with it.

Sometimes I wish I were closer for the bonding and camaraderie, something I loved while working at Playdemic in the UK. That human-to-human contact is harder to replicate over Zoom.

I make an effort to be social outside of work. It takes energy, but I feel anxious and empty if I don't. Not sure if that makes me an extrovert or an introvert 🤷, I just know I need it.

That said, I don't miss the commute and other inefficiencies that come with being on-site.

As for the work itself: I understand that certain positions, particularly in games companies, benefit from in-person collaboration. At Playdemic, many ideas emerged from casual desk-side conversations.

But my current role works well in isolation. I can usually work on videos independently, and when I need input about an unfinished Convex feature, a quick Zoom call usually sorts it out.

As for Convex's perspective on working with someone so far away?

I'm not sure, you'd have to ask them, but I think it's been okay. It's probably frustrating having to schedule late-day meetings to catch me during my early morning window, but overall it seems to be working out.

Conclusion

I still pinch myself that I get to work for a company I admired from afar for so long. Working at the cutting edge of technology that has driven my whole career is a dream come true.

So even though being a video content creator doesn't come naturally to me, I'm giving it my all and working to improve not just my content production, but doing whatever I can to help Convex succeed.