Hacktoberfest 2024!

Hacktoberfest 2024 Writing Challenge: Contributor Experience

Hello, open-source enthusiasts! I'd like to start this blog by sharing my Holopin badges from Hacktoberfest and a bit about myself.

I've been coding since my second year of college, and now I'm in my third year. This Hacktoberfest was my first time contributing to open source. You might wonder: Why the delay?

I kept saying to myself

Well, at first, I was anxious and struggled with beginner’s syndrome. I kept telling myself things like, “I don’t know how Git works!” or “I don’t know enough to contribute to projects that have been around since the dawn of time—pun intended!” I only know Java, I haven't mastered a full tech stack, and had plenty of other doubts. But this time, I decided to participate, thinking, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

So, here’s how my open-source journey began, and it wasn’t as tough as I’d imagined. Here’s what I did:

1. I went through the GSOC list of organizations and filtered out those using tech stacks I was comfortable with. One of them was the Jenkins project, which is built primarily in Java.
2. I joined their Gitter channel and introduced myself to the community. They were welcoming and supportive.
3. I set up the project on my local system, with some guidance from the maintainers.
4. Finally, I tackled issues labeled “good first issues” and “Hacktoberfest.”

Challenges and Tips for Beginners

Now, it may sound straightforward, but it wasn't as smooth as I’d imagined. I made a few mistakes along the way—like most beginners! Here are some key takeaways I think every new contributor should know:

1. Read the contributing guidelines for the project (usually found in a CONTRIBUTING.md file).
2. Ask before you start working on an issue to see if anyone else is already on it.
3. Learn the basics of version control—tools like Git and GitHub are essential. I found this interactive Git resource especially helpful.
4. Be respectful and empathetic towards the community.

My Pull Requests during Hacktoberfest

Here are the PRs I submitted:

1. Updated outdated screenshots with newer versions
2. Made documentation changes for the Jenkins on Google Cloud tutorial
3. Updated screenshots for the Jenkins controller on Kubernetes
4. Additional screenshot updates

After my PRs got merged I was like

Conclusion

To wrap up, here’s a bit of advice: Push yourself out of your comfort zone—great things are waiting beyond it. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; that’s part of being human, and we learn by trying and failing. The most beautiful things are waiting beyond the sea of doubts I hope you’ll pass this advice along to others.

Here are Rachel and Phoebe cheering you on

If you enjoyed this blog, feel free to connect with me:

• LinkedIn
• GitHub
• X (Twitter)

Also a shoutout to Mark waite and Kris Stern for helping me out