Talk: A road to open-source life

README.md

A road to open-source life

Slides: http://slides.com/balupton/open-source-life/

WHO AM I? (Why listen to me?)

Projects:

• B2evolution
• jQuery Plugins
• History.js
• DocPad
• Interconnect
• ChainyJS

Initiatives:

• Open-Collaboration
• Startup Hostel
• Static Site Generators.net
• Open-Company Initiative

WHY ARE YOU HERE? (why should you care?)

Some tangible takeways:

• If you want to become successful in open-source
• If you want to be requested by companies
• If you want to be able to deal with paparatzi
• If you want to stay... semi-sane

Some age-old lessons:

• Success is not a straight forward path
  • It's okay to not know where you're going
• Failure is feedback
  • A slap in the face
• Goals change, that's okay
  • Refinement and focus requires life experience
• Growth happens outside your comfort zone
  • Boundaries must be pushed to be established
• You must be ready for growth
  • Otherwise you will regress / Life is important, invest in it

THE STORY (what to learn?)

• 1997 (7-8)

  • Started programming (HTML/CSS)

• 2006 (16-17)

  • jQuery's rise to fame
  • jQuery plugins
  • Started University
  • B2evolution
  • Freelancing through open-source
  • Immersed myself in community

• 2009 (19-20)

  • jQuery Plugins
  • Full-time javascript developer
  • $18k/year - $20/hour
  • Immersed myself in tech

• 2011 (21-22)

  • Created History.js
  • Aloha Editor
  • DocPad
  • Idea-Share
  • Moved to Sydney
  • Startups
  • Think & Grow Rich
  • Medical & Government
  • $91k/year - $75/hour
  • Immersed myself in business

• 2012 (22-23)

  • Joined BugHerd
  • Part-time DocPad
  • Startup Workaway
  • Idea Share => Startup Hostel
  • Broke (it's okay, life goes on)
  • Studied Presence
  • Got bailed out
  • Got work
  • $84k/year - $150/hour
  • Immersed myself in personal development

• 2013 (23-24)

  • Full-time DocPad
  • India (wait... opinions are good?)
  • Bali (Startup Hostel => Network)
  • Broke (blindspots are evil)
  • Toronto
  • Sponsorship
  • $84k/year - na/hour
  • Berlin (Hacker Retreat)

• 2014 (24-25)

  • Toronto
  • End of sponsorship
  • Broke (diversity is important)
  • Health (disassembly is important)
  • Consulting
  • $96k/year - $80/hour
  • ChainyJS
  • Immersed myself in psychology

• 2015 (26-27)

  • Trainings

• 2020 (30-31)

  • Fiji

THE APPLICATION (how to apply it?)

• It takes a very long time
• It is very hard

• Diversification is good