Why You Should Just Post Things: From Social Media Skeptic to Content Creator with Francesco Ciulla

In this episode of Guidance Counselor 2.0, host Taylor Desseyn spoke with Francesco Ciulla, Senior Developer Advocate at Daily.dev and a prolific content creator. Their conversation explores Francesco's remarkable transformation from someone who actively avoided social media to becoming a successful YouTuber with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. His journey offers valuable insights for anyone hesitant to start creating content or building their professional presence online.

From Social Media Skeptic to Content Advocate

Francesco's relationship with social media began with complete rejection. When Facebook dominated social networks in the early 2000s, he was notably absent from the platform. "I was one of those guys when I was eighteen, everyone was on Facebook and I hated that. And I still hate Facebook nowadays," he explained.

His resistance stemmed from a fundamental belief that social media provided no value. "For me, social media equals waste of time. It was like drugs, something that doesn't make sense to me." This skepticism was so strong that if someone had told him he could get a job by chatting with people on the internet, he would have considered it a scam.

This mindset persisted well into his professional career. Francesco spent his early years as a volleyball coach, dedicating five to six hours daily to training and working in gyms. His transition to technology came in 2015 when he decided to switch careers, but even then, social media played no role in his professional strategy.

The Unexpected Career Breakthrough

Francesco's entry into tech happened through what he describes as a fortunate accident. While pursuing a computer science degree and learning technologies like Docker and Angular through online courses, his professor sent him an unexpected email about a position with the European Space Agency.

"My first impulse was to just say, no, I'm not ready. It doesn't make sense. Why should I even try?" Francesco recalled. However, treating it as interview practice rather than a serious opportunity, he approached the conversation with zero expectations. This lack of pressure, which the interviewers likely perceived as confidence, led to him landing the role within a week.

The transition from spending hours in gyms to sitting at a desk proved challenging. "I was going to the toilet every thirty minutes because I was not used to sitting for so long," he admitted, noting that colleagues probably thought he had health issues or was using substances.

Despite professional success, Francesco felt something was missing. Having been a teacher for much of his life (both parents were educators), he mourned the loss of his teaching role. This feeling would later become crucial to his content creation journey.

The Social Media Turning Point

Francesco's entry into social media came in 2020, driven by a purely practical need: promoting an Android app he had developed. With no existing network to share his creation, he reluctantly turned to Twitter, focusing specifically on connecting with other developers.

"I joined tech Twitter without knowing that it was called tech Twitter," he explained. His strategy was simple: follow people who talked about technology and engage authentically about development topics.

The breakthrough moment came in February 2020 when he published an article on Medium. Despite receiving minimal attention, the act of writing triggered something important: "I felt, again, that teaching vibe. Even if nobody read it, I felt like, now I'm teaching again, creating something that people can read and learn from it."

The Viral Moment That Changed Everything

On March 5, 2020, Francesco made a casual tweet about his career journey: "Three years ago, I was rejected for not remembering SQL commands in an interview. And now I'm working on this Landsat-Eight, working with NASA engineers."

The response was immediate and overwhelming. "I made this tweet, then I closed my phone, and I started working. At lunch, I opened my Twitter account. And I got like five thousand likes. I said, well, what is going on?"

This viral moment coincided perfectly with the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy. With his two-hour daily commute eliminated and strict lockdown measures in place, Francesco suddenly had both time and motivation to invest more seriously in social media.

Building a Content Creation Practice

The transition from occasional posting to serious content creation took time and deliberate effort. Francesco's first video didn't come until July 25, 2020, when he reached 25,000 Twitter followers and decided to create a thank-you video.

"If you find a video of me before the twenty-fifth of July, two thousand twenty, you will win a prize," he challenged, emphasizing how foreign video creation felt to him initially.

His approach to video creation reflects his teaching background and systematic thinking. His recent Rust programming course represents this evolution: a 3.5-hour comprehensive tutorial that required 12 hours of recording and 50 hours of editing. Despite the massive time investment, he chose to offer it free, viewing it as a way to help as many people as possible while building his YouTube presence.

The Mindset of Content Distribution

One of the most valuable insights from Francesco's experience concerns what he calls "content switching" - the ability to seamlessly move between regular work and content creation. He compared it to travel blogging versus simple travel: both involve similar activities, but the content creator must constantly shift between experiencing and documenting.

"If you're not that used to stopping working and starting to record a video, and then you need to go back to your job and it's midnight. That's the thing."

Francesco emphasizes that consistent content creation requires treating it like physical exercise. "It's the difference between who is exercising like crazy in a gym and who is just at the gym checking the phone." The key is developing the muscle memory and mindset that makes content creation feel natural rather than forced.

Overcoming the Fear of Judgment

Perhaps Francesco's most powerful advice concerns the universal fear of judgment that prevents many people from starting. His perspective is refreshingly direct: "People will judge you for your aspect, your funny accent, your thoughts, if you say something a bit wrong about a specific language. People will even judge you if you don't create content. So at this point, since they are judging anyway, do what is the best for you."

This insight reflects his experience as a non-native English speaker who worried about his accent and language skills. Rather than letting these concerns paralyze him, he chose to focus on the value he could provide through teaching and sharing his expertise.

The Importance of Sustained Effort

Francesco strongly advocates for extended commitment when trying content creation. "Try it for six months. Try it for a year," he recommends, comparing it to learning new skills or joining a gym. "If you sign up for the gym and you go three times, you don't even know if you like that."

He's observed many friends who spend months creating a single video, then abandon the effort entirely. "You have no idea how many friends I have. They struggle so much to create a video. Then they spend like two months to create a video, one video, and then they stop."

His recommendation aligns with Taylor's suggestion that everyone is "ninety consecutive posts away" from something awesome happening in their career. Both emphasize that consistency over time yields better results than sporadic perfection.

Content Creation in the AI Era

The conversation touched on an important theme: as AI tools make technical creation more accessible, human connection and personal brand become more valuable differentiators. Francesco noted that if anyone can build an e-commerce site in a day using AI tools, having an established audience and reputation becomes crucial.

"Who you are and what you do and the reach you have is even more important than five years ago," he observed. This perspective suggests that content creation isn't just about immediate career benefits, but about building sustainable competitive advantages in an AI-augmented world.

Maintaining Balance and Priorities

Despite his success with content creation, Francesco maintains clear priorities: girlfriend (now fiancée), physical health, then content creation. This hierarchy helps him sustain long-term productivity rather than burning out.

"To create content, you need to be in your best condition. If you're tired, content creation is like drawing. It's like playing the piano. Can you play the piano if you are stressed, if you didn't sleep?" His approach includes waking up at 4 AM for exercise before creating content, ensuring he has the energy and mental clarity needed for quality work.

Practical Advice for Getting Started

For those intimidated by content creation, Francesco offers several practical suggestions:

Start with Milestones: His first video was simply a thank-you message when he reached 25,000 followers. Any achievement or milestone can provide content material and natural talking points.

Leverage Your Background: Francesco's teaching experience and technical knowledge combine naturally in his educational content. Everyone has unique combinations of skills and experiences worth sharing.

Commit to Extended Testing: Rather than trying content creation for a week or two, commit to 100 pieces of content or six months of consistent effort. This provides enough data to make an informed decision about whether it's worth continuing.

Focus on Teaching: Even if you're not an expert, sharing what you're learning can provide value to others at similar stages. Francesco's early content focused on documenting his own learning journey.

Don't Aim for Perfection: His early videos were admittedly "cringe," but they provided the foundation for improvement. The goal is progress, not perfection.

The Career Impact of Content Creation

Francesco's journey from European Space Agency developer to Developer Advocate happened largely through his content creation efforts. His YouTube channel, Twitter presence, and speaking engagements at conferences all stem from his decision to start sharing his knowledge online.

This transformation illustrates a broader trend in tech careers: as remote work becomes more common and technical skills become more accessible through AI tools, the ability to communicate, teach, and build community becomes increasingly valuable.

For developers and other technical professionals, content creation offers multiple career benefits: increased visibility for job opportunities, speaking invitations, networking with industry leaders, and the development of communication skills that become more valuable at senior levels.

Final Thoughts

Francesco's transformation from social media skeptic to successful content creator demonstrates that anyone can develop these skills with commitment and the right mindset. His journey emphasizes that authentic sharing of knowledge and experience resonates more than polished, professional content.

Most importantly, his story shows that the fear of judgment shouldn't prevent people from starting. As he noted, judgment happens regardless of whether you create content or not. The question becomes whether you'll let that fear prevent you from pursuing opportunities that could transform your career.

For anyone considering content creation, Francesco's advice is simple: start now, commit to sustained effort, and focus on providing value to others. The technical barriers to content creation have never been lower, and the potential career benefits have never been higher.

As Taylor concluded the conversation, "Everyone's going to judge you regardless. So you might as well put something out there." In an industry where technical skills are increasingly commoditized, the ability to share knowledge, build community, and establish a personal brand may be the most valuable skill of all.

This blog post summarizes insights from Guidance Counselor 2.0, a live streaming show hosted by Taylor Desseyn that explores career development in the tech industry. Find the full video of the episode and more here: Why You Should Just Post Things w/Francesco Ciulla, Sr. Dev Rel