Can you share your motivation behind contributing to open-source projects, and how did you get started?
It started with me trying to fix some bugs on libraries that I used in my day-to-day projects. From this, I saw two positive outcomes: my hard skills began to improve much faster 🚀, and I started to be recognized as a more professional developer by HR 👨💻.
What fuels your passion for coding and contributing to open-source projects?
Nowadays, it doesn't feel like a passion anymore; it feels more like the right thing to do, and the right way to do things. 🤝
Are there specific aspects of software development that you find particularly fulfilling?
I find hard problems, gamification in the process of solving those problems, and automations particularly fulfilling. I am always happy when I can automate some routine, simple tasks. 😊🔧
How do you choose the projects you contribute to, and what criteria do you consider when deciding where to focus your efforts?
The projects choose me rather than the other way around. They are usually the ones I encounter in my daily work. Sometimes, I feel an urge to contribute to a project I have no direct relation with, just by noticing a bug. Though lately, I'm focusing more on other important aspects of my life than on contributing to open-source. 🌟
How has your journey in contributing to open source contributed to your personal learning and professional growth?
As mentioned earlier, the main factors for starting my open-source contributions were to enhance my hard and soft skills. This journey has made me more visible and recognized in my professional circle. 📈
Balancing contributions to open source with professional commitments can be challenging. How do you manage this balance?
I am able to contribute to open-source during work hours, but this is usually for a library we use in our daily work. If we might use that library, or if it's already in use in some of our projects, I prefer fixing the problem directly so that everyone can benefit from it, creating a win-win situation. 🤝 Sometimes, when I'm too busy during work hours, I contribute in my personal time. ⏳
Have you participated in conferences, meetups, or other events to share your experiences and knowledge?
Yes, I have had the experience of being both an attendee and a speaker at such events. It's a rewarding experience. 🎤 A piece of advice: attend these events only if you are genuinely interested in the topic. If you attend just because someone asked you to, it can be hard to fully engage. 💡
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their journey in open-source contributions?
Pick a project that you are passionate about or at least relate to in some way. Many suggest choosing any random project, but that approach doesn't always work. Understand the project by reading its documentation. If you find bugs or see potential improvements, start by reporting an issue rather than jumping straight to creating pull requests. While some maintainers appreciate bold pull requests, they should ideally be so well-prepared that the maintainer only needs to click 'Merge'. Otherwise, they might not be well-received. Take your time creating your issue, including a title, description, images, expected behavior, and your environment. This level of detail helps maintainers understand the issue more easily. 🤓📚
See you on the other side. 👋