Stepping into Open Source: A First-Year CSE Student's Perspective on Hacktoberfest

Barun Prusty — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 19:55:12 +0000

Hello DEV Community,
As a first-year Computer Science and Engineering student, entering the broader tech ecosystem can feel overwhelming given the sheer volume of technologies, frameworks, and methodologies available. However, I believe the best way to accelerate learning is through practical application and community engagement. That is why I have decided to participate in Hacktoberfest this year.
The purpose of this post is to establish a public learning log, hold myself accountable, and track my transition from academic theory to collaborative software development.
My Current Focus
I am currently in the foundational stage of my technical education. My active learning stack includes:

Programming Fundamentals: Mastering core programming logic and syntax using C.
Version Control: Familiarizing myself with Git workflows, repository management, and basic command-line operations.
Tools: Configuring VS Code to streamline my local development workflow.

My Hacktoberfest Goals
Rather than attempting to build complex features immediately, I am focusing on understanding the mechanics of collaborative software engineering. My goals for this month include:

Executing my first successful Pull Request on a verified public repository.
Understanding open-source contribution etiquette, issue tracking, and code review processes.
Contributing to documentation updates, basic bug fixes, or beginner-friendly issues to add value to existing projects.

DEV Community: Barun Prusty

Stepping into Open Source: A First-Year CSE Student's Perspective on Hacktoberfest