Contributing to open source can be a rewarding way to learn, teach, and build experience in just about any skill you can imagine. Working on a few helped me earn many of the skills I later used for my studies in university. Working on open source projects helps me as much as it helps the project!
However, contributing to open source is easier for some than others. There’s a lot of fear of being yelled at for not doing something right or just not fitting in. In my case it was the overwhelming nature of the code base I had to read, understand and add to.
Learning to navigate that codebase was a skill in and of itself, which I gained after months of practice. My first contributions were basically refactoring the source code others have written. There are some basic stuff in programming that people who focuses on getting the job done will never think about when coding. With this in mind, when I first set out on making a contribution to an open source repository, I am looking at figuring out and addressing those bad programming practices made by the early contributors on the project.
Contributing to open source software has also impacted my life as a developer on how I interact with other developers. The acceleration of open source as a movement during the past couple of years has redefined software development as a highly collaborative process. Open source development demands a greater degree of collaboration which is something I have come to learn over the years.
I am trying new things this year, and working as an outreachy intern has been on my bucket list for a while now.
This is my first ever article, and I will be glad to get feedbacks on it. I hope your journey into open source is as enriching for you as it has been for me.