The Laravel Podcast From Math Teacher to DevRel with Leah Thompson
9 snips
Nov 17, 2025 Leah Thompson, a DevRel engineer at Laravel with a background in math teaching, shares her inspiring journey into tech. She discusses her transition from the classroom to web development through a free bootcamp. Leah emphasizes the importance of networking, building in public, and community engagement. Her role involves creating marketing sites and public speaking. She offers advice for career switchers, highlighting the power of social media and genuine interactions. Leah also shares tips on preparing for talks and growing a Twitch community.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From Math Teacher To Developer
- Leah transitioned from a math degree and teaching into web development via a free bootcamp called 100Devs.
- She began streaming, posting on Twitter, rebuilt projects in Laravel, and that public presence led to job offers and community invites.
Laracon Sparked Community Entry
- Leah learned Laravel on the job when her agency switched from Next.js to Laravel and then attended Laracon US via a scholarship.
- Laracon introduced her to the community, led to followers on Twitter, and ultimately motivated her to DM Taylor about DevRel opportunities.
Pick Tools Pragmatically For Marketing Sites
- As a lone marketing engineer at Laravel Leah chose tools per project and prioritized speed with Blade.
- Being the sole owner of a site often means you pick pragmatic solutions, not dogmatic stacks.