C
Courtney Yatteau
Guest
From Teaching to Tech: Year Three (Aug 2024β-βAug 2025)
It's hard to believe that I have now wrapped up three years as a Developer Advocate at Esri. As I've made my way through each year, I've realized that each one has had its own 'theme'. Year One was all about learning and acclimating to my new role in an Esri-centric environment. Year Two was about gaining the confidence to branch out and expand my presenting skills beyond Esri conferences, reaching third-party events, and finding my voice in new communities. Year Three has been about expansion and growth. I expanded my talks, built new workshops, tried new formats, and creatively wove maps into various places, which allowed me to speak at more conferences than ever before in a single year.
What I love most about developer relations is the mix of teaching and community. I still get to teach, but instead of being in a classroom full of teenagers, I now teach adults in conference rooms, auditoriums, and expo booths. I get to experiment, share ideas, and see developers' interest spark when a concept I've shown gives them new and creative ideas. And maps have been a constant component through it all. They've given me a creative lens to connect with developers in ways that are technical, fun, and sometimes unexpected.
CityJS MedellΓn 2024 | 
Recording of my talk | 
Slides & demos
My third-year conference season began in October with CityJS MedellΓn, my first time speaking in South America. My talk, Decoding the Geospatial Web, introduced JavaScript developers to GIS concepts like feature layers, vector tiles, and spatial queries, while showing how tools like MapLibre GL JS and ArcGIS REST JS make them approachable.
What stood out to me was the energy of the audience. Many were hearing about GIS for the first time, and the curiosity was clear with the number of questions and compliments I received about maps and my presentation. It reminded me just how much I love introducing new concepts to an audience. I also had a hallway conversation with a developer who had some prior ArcGIS experience. After my talk, she told me she was excited and inspired to try out the new ideas I had shown. These are the kinds of interactions that truly make me enjoy my role in developer relations.
For developers considering CityJS MedellΓn, one of the coolest things is that speakers can present in either English or Spanish, and translation devices are available in both languages. This makes it an incredibly inclusive event and one where you will meet developers from all over Latin America and beyond.
DevIgnition 2024 | rvatech/Code&Cloud 2024 | Slides & demos
In November, I gave my first talk on AI-Powered Gamification for the Web at DevIgnition in Arlington, VA. The talk brought together Azure, TensorFlow.js, and Brain.js to show how AI can power adaptive challenges, streak recognition, and interactive storytelling. It quickly became one of my favorite talks to build because it let me blend my passion for gamification with my excitement about AI.
A few weeks later, I expanded that talk at rvatech/Code&Cloud in Richmond. Having two runs so close together gave me the chance to stretch the content, improve the flow, and add new demos. I included examples using Hugging Face for sentence similarity and OpenAI for text and image generation. Afterward, several attendees came up to talk with me about how they could use gamification in their own internal apps. These kinds of interactions make my work feel rewarding and reinforce the idea that the connections I build could lead to meaningful projects and solutions simply by inspiring my audience with ideas.
Both DevIgnition and Code & Cloud are great Virginia regional events. Each has a fun after-event social hour where attendees, speakers, and organizers can connect in a more casual way, which makes the community aspect just as strong as the sessions.
CodeMash 2025 | Slides & demos
January brought CodeMash in Ohio, where I led my second half-day workshop, Equation to Animation: Crafting Dynamic Math Visuals on the Web. It built on my first previous workshop experience, where I had learned what methods worked and didn't in a smaller, intimate group.
This time around, I anticipated a bit of a larger group, so I led the workshop in a more self-guided way by creating my own workshop site with several modules. Between each module, I walked the group through creating animated visuals with Chart.js and D3.js. I would teach a few new concepts needed for that module and broke things up to avoid the monotony of going through code examples.
What I love most about workshops is slipping back into teacher mode. I get to see people learning in real time, ask them questions, and help them troubleshoot. I had several attendees enjoy the format and thank me for all the examples and resources I provided in the site.
CodeMash itself is an incredibly unique experience. It has so many tracks to choose from that there truly is something for everyone, even sessions for kids and people who 3D print. The entire event takes over a resort in Ohio, which gives it a camp-like feel and makes it easy to immerse yourself in learning while also having fun.
Esri Federal GIS Conference 2025 | nor(DEV):con 2025 | Slides & demos
In February I had the Esri Federal GIS Conference in D.C. where I presented demos on Location Services and open development during the opening session. Additionally, I enjoyed co-presenting a talk about ArcGIS Location Platform and how these tools can help with some of the applications our customers are building. FedGIS is generally high-energy, and it was great to connect with federal customers who are building important applications with our tools. Since I live nearby, I also enjoyed seeing colleagues from other Esri offices in person.
Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised to have some great conversations about the work I've been doing online with YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. I had some customers share genuine interest in the work I've been doing, which led to some insightful conversations.
FedGIS is also free for federal employees to attend, which makes it a great opportunity for those working in government to see firsthand how GIS is being used across agencies.
Immediately after FedGIS, I hopped on a plane and traveled to the UK for nor(DEV): Conference in Norwich. I gave my React and the Art of Gamification talk to an engaged crowd of developers. It felt like a full-circle moment to share a talk I had first delivered in the U.S. with a European audience. Additionally, since the conference was not a React-specific one, I ensured to be more thorough with my explanation of the various React hooks and tools. After my talk, I had a few developers chat with me about how their companies have been exploring the idea of gamification in their own apps and seeing my examples helped inspire them. Again, always a rewarding experience to hear this feedback.
nor(DEV): con is not just about the talks. They also host an awesome speaker dinner and a really fun party for attendees. Norwich is a hidden gem of a city, especially if you are a beer drinker, with plenty of great spots to check out.
Esri Developer Summit 2025 | Recordings
RVAJS 2025 | Slides & demos
Frontrunners 2025 | Recording of my talk | Slides & demos
March was packed. At the Esri Developer & Technology Summit in Palm Springs, I had the busiest schedule of my career so far. I presented on the plenary stage, co-presented four technical talks, gave a demo theater talk, and participated in SpeedGeeking. It was exhausting and exhilarating all at once. Some of my favorite moments came from the SpeedGeeking session where I spoke about combining Gemini, the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JS, and feature layers to create a unique app that supports querying through natural language processing.
Right after Palm Springs, I flew back east directly to RVAJS, where I gave A Developer's Guide to Open Source Web Mapping Libraries. It was a smaller, local conference but the crowd was enthusiastic. A few attendees told me afterward that they had never considered adding a map to their projects until that talk and were definitely inspired to do so. RVAJS is great for local Richmond, VA JavaScript developers who want to connect with their community.
I will make note here that taking a redeye from one side of the country to the other and having to present a few hours after is something I will not be doing again and do not recommend. I was extremely tired since I don't sleep well on planes and thus this was not my best performance. It certainly taught me to learn to say no to some opportunities sometimes for the sake of my own health and sanity.
I closed out the month at Frontrunners in Arlington, VA, delivering the same Open Source Mapping talk. This event was right in my backyard, so it was extremely convenient and since I had a week between RVAJS and this conference, I was well rested and had time to run through what I could do better in this talk. The audience was engaged and I enjoyed chatting with several developers afterward. I even had a few amazing conversations about my teaching to tech transition, which is always a fun topic to have, especially with fellow women in tech or looking to get into tech.
Techorama Belgium 2025 | Slides & demos
May brought a trip to Belgium for Techorama, where I gave two talks: AI-Powered Gamification for Sports Apps and Sports Data Visualization for the Web. Using sports made the content approachable and fun and I'm so glad the conference chose this theme. This was the first time I created a couple of fun games to start my talk with and get some audience participation, which turned out to be a lot of fun and hooked my audience right away.
The conference itself was extremely vibrant and active with many different tracks, several activities going on in the hallways, and many amazing sponsors. Techorama was also held in a literal movie theater, which made the experience unique and surprisingly comfortable. The setting added a creative twist to the talks and made it feel different from a typical conference setup.
Esri User Conference 2025 | Slides & demos
Nebraska.Code 2025 | Slides & demos
July was a double-header. At the Esri User Conference in San Diego, I presented in a couple developer-focused sessions and spent time at the developer showcase. One of my favorite parts of the week was running a Gemini-powered GeoQuiz game at the booth. Attendees could click anywhere on a map and instantly get a trivia question about that location. It was a fun way to get people talking and a reminder that maps can be both powerful and playful.
The Esri User Conference is the largest GIS event in the world, bringing together tens of thousands of people from every industry imaginable. If you are a developer, it is the place to see how geospatial technology is being used at scale, connect directly with Esri engineers, and explore the massive expo hall where every corner has something new to discover. The developer showcase in particular is a great space if you want to focus on the ArcGIS APIs, SDKs, and coding examples.
Just a week later, I was in Lincoln, Nebraska for Nebraska.Code, where I ran a mapping workshop and also gave my AI-Powered Gamification for the Web talk. The workshop gave me another chance to lean into my teaching side, and the talk let me share how AI and gamification can blend with maps to create engaging applications. On top of that, the audience was very welcoming, and the community-driven vibe was clear throughout.
dev up 2025 | Slides & demos (React talk), Slides & demos (AI talk)
Beer City Code 2025 | Slides & demos (workshop), Slides & demos (talk)
KCDC 2025 | Slides & demos
August was jam-packed! At Dev Up in St. Louis, I delivered both React and the Art of Gamification and AI-Powered Gamification for the Web. Dev Up is one of those events where the community shines. In addition to the conference itself, attendees and speakers often plan extra social events, which means the fun and networking continued long after the sessions wrapped up.
A few days later, I was in Grand Rapids for Beer City Code, where I led a workshop on interactive charts with Chart.js and D3.js and gave my new talk, Mathematics in Motion. This talk was especially close to me because it tied my teaching background in math directly into web development. One attendee told me afterward that they hadn't touched math in years but were excited to revisit it through code. Beer City Code also adds to the fun with a sponsor raffle that gives away some great prizes. On top of that, they offer an optional after-party add-on where attendees, speakers, organizers, and sponsors gather for food, drinks, and plenty of laughs.
Finally, I wrapped up the month at KCDC in Kansas City with React and the Art of Gamification. This was one of the most welcoming events I have ever attended. The speaker dinner was incredible, and the organizers made everyone feel appreciated. On top of that, I co-won the Taskmaster event, which was an unforgettable highlight.
One of the best parts of this third year was the people I met and reconnected with along the way. Conferences are about the talks and workshops, but the real magic happens in the hallway conversations, speaker dinners, after-parties, and those moments when someone shares a spark of inspiration. I met many people this year, far more than I could list here, but a few that stood out include Carmen Huidobro, Tyler Benfield, Momin Khan, Arthur Doler, Mark Erikson, Shri Khalpada, Alex Riviere, Avindra Fernando, Chad Green, David Kerber, and Mike Harrington. Each of these connections brought something meaningful, whether it was encouragement, thoughtful conversations, or simply reminding me how welcoming and collaborative the developer community can be.
Of course, not everything happened on stage. Between events, I stayed busy with livestreams, blog writing and editing, and my AI-Powered Mapping for the ArcGIS Web Developer video series. I also participated in Hacktoberfest and the 30 Day Map Challenge. These projects gave me a chance to experiment with new formats, connect with developers online, and keep sharing Esri technology in creative ways.
Looking back, Year Three was my busiest year yet, but also my most rewarding. I expanded talks, taught workshops, built playful demos, and connected with developers across the U.S. and abroad. I wove maps into unique contexts like sports, AI, and gamification, and I saw firsthand how they can inspire and engage developers in new ways.
My experiences so far have taught me that developer relations is about teaching, connecting, and sparking ideas. It lets me bring together my background in teaching, my newfound love for maps, my passion for coding, and many of my other interests in creative ways. I am grateful for every stage, every booth conversation, every workshop, and every livestream. And I am excited to see where Year Four will take me.
This article was written by Courtney Yatteau, a Developer Advocate at Esri. The opinions expressed in this article are solely Courtney's and do not necessarily represent the views, strategies, or opinions of her employer. If you have any feedback, please feel free to like and/or comment. Additionally, if you have any questions or comments that you'd prefer to send privately, you can contact Courtney through LinkedIn, X, or Bluesky. If you're considering a career switch, looking to get into tech, or curious about what it's like to work at Esri, then please stay tuned for future posts! You can also check out Esri's careers page or this video for more information.
Continue reading...
It's hard to believe that I have now wrapped up three years as a Developer Advocate at Esri. As I've made my way through each year, I've realized that each one has had its own 'theme'. Year One was all about learning and acclimating to my new role in an Esri-centric environment. Year Two was about gaining the confidence to branch out and expand my presenting skills beyond Esri conferences, reaching third-party events, and finding my voice in new communities. Year Three has been about expansion and growth. I expanded my talks, built new workshops, tried new formats, and creatively wove maps into various places, which allowed me to speak at more conferences than ever before in a single year.
What I love most about developer relations is the mix of teaching and community. I still get to teach, but instead of being in a classroom full of teenagers, I now teach adults in conference rooms, auditoriums, and expo booths. I get to experiment, share ideas, and see developers' interest spark when a concept I've shown gives them new and creative ideas. And maps have been a constant component through it all. They've given me a creative lens to connect with developers in ways that are technical, fun, and sometimes unexpected.
CityJS MedellΓn
CityJS MedellΓn 2024 | Recording of my talk | Slides & demosMy third-year conference season began in October with CityJS MedellΓn, my first time speaking in South America. My talk, Decoding the Geospatial Web, introduced JavaScript developers to GIS concepts like feature layers, vector tiles, and spatial queries, while showing how tools like MapLibre GL JS and ArcGIS REST JS make them approachable.
What stood out to me was the energy of the audience. Many were hearing about GIS for the first time, and the curiosity was clear with the number of questions and compliments I received about maps and my presentation. It reminded me just how much I love introducing new concepts to an audience. I also had a hallway conversation with a developer who had some prior ArcGIS experience. After my talk, she told me she was excited and inspired to try out the new ideas I had shown. These are the kinds of interactions that truly make me enjoy my role in developer relations.
For developers considering CityJS MedellΓn, one of the coolest things is that speakers can present in either English or Spanish, and translation devices are available in both languages. This makes it an incredibly inclusive event and one where you will meet developers from all over Latin America and beyond.
DevIgnition and Code & Cloud
DevIgnition 2024 | rvatech/Code&Cloud 2024 | Slides & demosIn November, I gave my first talk on AI-Powered Gamification for the Web at DevIgnition in Arlington, VA. The talk brought together Azure, TensorFlow.js, and Brain.js to show how AI can power adaptive challenges, streak recognition, and interactive storytelling. It quickly became one of my favorite talks to build because it let me blend my passion for gamification with my excitement about AI.
A few weeks later, I expanded that talk at rvatech/Code&Cloud in Richmond. Having two runs so close together gave me the chance to stretch the content, improve the flow, and add new demos. I included examples using Hugging Face for sentence similarity and OpenAI for text and image generation. Afterward, several attendees came up to talk with me about how they could use gamification in their own internal apps. These kinds of interactions make my work feel rewarding and reinforce the idea that the connections I build could lead to meaningful projects and solutions simply by inspiring my audience with ideas.
Both DevIgnition and Code & Cloud are great Virginia regional events. Each has a fun after-event social hour where attendees, speakers, and organizers can connect in a more casual way, which makes the community aspect just as strong as the sessions.
CodeMash
CodeMash 2025 | Slides & demosJanuary brought CodeMash in Ohio, where I led my second half-day workshop, Equation to Animation: Crafting Dynamic Math Visuals on the Web. It built on my first previous workshop experience, where I had learned what methods worked and didn't in a smaller, intimate group.
This time around, I anticipated a bit of a larger group, so I led the workshop in a more self-guided way by creating my own workshop site with several modules. Between each module, I walked the group through creating animated visuals with Chart.js and D3.js. I would teach a few new concepts needed for that module and broke things up to avoid the monotony of going through code examples.
What I love most about workshops is slipping back into teacher mode. I get to see people learning in real time, ask them questions, and help them troubleshoot. I had several attendees enjoy the format and thank me for all the examples and resources I provided in the site.
CodeMash itself is an incredibly unique experience. It has so many tracks to choose from that there truly is something for everyone, even sessions for kids and people who 3D print. The entire event takes over a resort in Ohio, which gives it a camp-like feel and makes it easy to immerse yourself in learning while also having fun.
Esri FedGIS and nor(DEV):Conference
Esri Federal GIS Conference 2025 | nor(DEV):con 2025 | Slides & demosIn February I had the Esri Federal GIS Conference in D.C. where I presented demos on Location Services and open development during the opening session. Additionally, I enjoyed co-presenting a talk about ArcGIS Location Platform and how these tools can help with some of the applications our customers are building. FedGIS is generally high-energy, and it was great to connect with federal customers who are building important applications with our tools. Since I live nearby, I also enjoyed seeing colleagues from other Esri offices in person.
Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised to have some great conversations about the work I've been doing online with YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. I had some customers share genuine interest in the work I've been doing, which led to some insightful conversations.
FedGIS is also free for federal employees to attend, which makes it a great opportunity for those working in government to see firsthand how GIS is being used across agencies.
Immediately after FedGIS, I hopped on a plane and traveled to the UK for nor(DEV): Conference in Norwich. I gave my React and the Art of Gamification talk to an engaged crowd of developers. It felt like a full-circle moment to share a talk I had first delivered in the U.S. with a European audience. Additionally, since the conference was not a React-specific one, I ensured to be more thorough with my explanation of the various React hooks and tools. After my talk, I had a few developers chat with me about how their companies have been exploring the idea of gamification in their own apps and seeing my examples helped inspire them. Again, always a rewarding experience to hear this feedback.
nor(DEV): con is not just about the talks. They also host an awesome speaker dinner and a really fun party for attendees. Norwich is a hidden gem of a city, especially if you are a beer drinker, with plenty of great spots to check out.
Esri Developer & Technology Summit, RVAJS, and Frontrunners
Esri Developer Summit 2025 | Recordings RVAJS 2025 | Slides & demos Frontrunners 2025 | Recording of my talk | Slides & demosMarch was packed. At the Esri Developer & Technology Summit in Palm Springs, I had the busiest schedule of my career so far. I presented on the plenary stage, co-presented four technical talks, gave a demo theater talk, and participated in SpeedGeeking. It was exhausting and exhilarating all at once. Some of my favorite moments came from the SpeedGeeking session where I spoke about combining Gemini, the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JS, and feature layers to create a unique app that supports querying through natural language processing.
Right after Palm Springs, I flew back east directly to RVAJS, where I gave A Developer's Guide to Open Source Web Mapping Libraries. It was a smaller, local conference but the crowd was enthusiastic. A few attendees told me afterward that they had never considered adding a map to their projects until that talk and were definitely inspired to do so. RVAJS is great for local Richmond, VA JavaScript developers who want to connect with their community.
I will make note here that taking a redeye from one side of the country to the other and having to present a few hours after is something I will not be doing again and do not recommend. I was extremely tired since I don't sleep well on planes and thus this was not my best performance. It certainly taught me to learn to say no to some opportunities sometimes for the sake of my own health and sanity.
I closed out the month at Frontrunners in Arlington, VA, delivering the same Open Source Mapping talk. This event was right in my backyard, so it was extremely convenient and since I had a week between RVAJS and this conference, I was well rested and had time to run through what I could do better in this talk. The audience was engaged and I enjoyed chatting with several developers afterward. I even had a few amazing conversations about my teaching to tech transition, which is always a fun topic to have, especially with fellow women in tech or looking to get into tech.
Techorama Belgium
Techorama Belgium 2025 | Slides & demosMay brought a trip to Belgium for Techorama, where I gave two talks: AI-Powered Gamification for Sports Apps and Sports Data Visualization for the Web. Using sports made the content approachable and fun and I'm so glad the conference chose this theme. This was the first time I created a couple of fun games to start my talk with and get some audience participation, which turned out to be a lot of fun and hooked my audience right away.
The conference itself was extremely vibrant and active with many different tracks, several activities going on in the hallways, and many amazing sponsors. Techorama was also held in a literal movie theater, which made the experience unique and surprisingly comfortable. The setting added a creative twist to the talks and made it feel different from a typical conference setup.
Esri User Conference and Nebraska.Code
Esri User Conference 2025 | Slides & demos Nebraska.Code 2025 | Slides & demosJuly was a double-header. At the Esri User Conference in San Diego, I presented in a couple developer-focused sessions and spent time at the developer showcase. One of my favorite parts of the week was running a Gemini-powered GeoQuiz game at the booth. Attendees could click anywhere on a map and instantly get a trivia question about that location. It was a fun way to get people talking and a reminder that maps can be both powerful and playful.
The Esri User Conference is the largest GIS event in the world, bringing together tens of thousands of people from every industry imaginable. If you are a developer, it is the place to see how geospatial technology is being used at scale, connect directly with Esri engineers, and explore the massive expo hall where every corner has something new to discover. The developer showcase in particular is a great space if you want to focus on the ArcGIS APIs, SDKs, and coding examples.
Just a week later, I was in Lincoln, Nebraska for Nebraska.Code, where I ran a mapping workshop and also gave my AI-Powered Gamification for the Web talk. The workshop gave me another chance to lean into my teaching side, and the talk let me share how AI and gamification can blend with maps to create engaging applications. On top of that, the audience was very welcoming, and the community-driven vibe was clear throughout.
dev up, Beer City Code, and KCDC
dev up 2025 | Slides & demos (React talk), Slides & demos (AI talk) Beer City Code 2025 | Slides & demos (workshop), Slides & demos (talk) KCDC 2025 | Slides & demosAugust was jam-packed! At Dev Up in St. Louis, I delivered both React and the Art of Gamification and AI-Powered Gamification for the Web. Dev Up is one of those events where the community shines. In addition to the conference itself, attendees and speakers often plan extra social events, which means the fun and networking continued long after the sessions wrapped up.
A few days later, I was in Grand Rapids for Beer City Code, where I led a workshop on interactive charts with Chart.js and D3.js and gave my new talk, Mathematics in Motion. This talk was especially close to me because it tied my teaching background in math directly into web development. One attendee told me afterward that they hadn't touched math in years but were excited to revisit it through code. Beer City Code also adds to the fun with a sponsor raffle that gives away some great prizes. On top of that, they offer an optional after-party add-on where attendees, speakers, organizers, and sponsors gather for food, drinks, and plenty of laughs.
Finally, I wrapped up the month at KCDC in Kansas City with React and the Art of Gamification. This was one of the most welcoming events I have ever attended. The speaker dinner was incredible, and the organizers made everyone feel appreciated. On top of that, I co-won the Taskmaster event, which was an unforgettable highlight.
People Along the Way
One of the best parts of this third year was the people I met and reconnected with along the way. Conferences are about the talks and workshops, but the real magic happens in the hallway conversations, speaker dinners, after-parties, and those moments when someone shares a spark of inspiration. I met many people this year, far more than I could list here, but a few that stood out include Carmen Huidobro, Tyler Benfield, Momin Khan, Arthur Doler, Mark Erikson, Shri Khalpada, Alex Riviere, Avindra Fernando, Chad Green, David Kerber, and Mike Harrington. Each of these connections brought something meaningful, whether it was encouragement, thoughtful conversations, or simply reminding me how welcoming and collaborative the developer community can be.
Beyond Conferences
Of course, not everything happened on stage. Between events, I stayed busy with livestreams, blog writing and editing, and my AI-Powered Mapping for the ArcGIS Web Developer video series. I also participated in Hacktoberfest and the 30 Day Map Challenge. These projects gave me a chance to experiment with new formats, connect with developers online, and keep sharing Esri technology in creative ways.
Wrapping Up Year Three
Looking back, Year Three was my busiest year yet, but also my most rewarding. I expanded talks, taught workshops, built playful demos, and connected with developers across the U.S. and abroad. I wove maps into unique contexts like sports, AI, and gamification, and I saw firsthand how they can inspire and engage developers in new ways.
My experiences so far have taught me that developer relations is about teaching, connecting, and sparking ideas. It lets me bring together my background in teaching, my newfound love for maps, my passion for coding, and many of my other interests in creative ways. I am grateful for every stage, every booth conversation, every workshop, and every livestream. And I am excited to see where Year Four will take me.
This article was written by Courtney Yatteau, a Developer Advocate at Esri. The opinions expressed in this article are solely Courtney's and do not necessarily represent the views, strategies, or opinions of her employer. If you have any feedback, please feel free to like and/or comment. Additionally, if you have any questions or comments that you'd prefer to send privately, you can contact Courtney through LinkedIn, X, or Bluesky. If you're considering a career switch, looking to get into tech, or curious about what it's like to work at Esri, then please stay tuned for future posts! You can also check out Esri's careers page or this video for more information.
Continue reading...
