Announcing Our Hacktoberfest Issue Board!

Mai Irie — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 20:06:36 +0000

Are you ready for Hacktoberfest?!?

We're thrilled to announce that Forem is participating in Hacktoberfest 2023, and we're inviting you to join us in this exciting open-source celebration by contributing to the very software that runs this platform! This is the perfect opportunity to contribute and make a real impact on DEV and the wider Forem community.

We have a public project board on GitHub, organized in a kanban style, that lists various issues in the "Todo" column. This board highlights areas where we'd really appreciate your help.

We welcome contributions from new and seasoned coders at any career stage, and in any sector! Please take a look at our Contributing guide for more information. We also have some shiny new and improved local environment options for you to streamline your developer experience 🙌.

How to Get Involved

Explore the Project Board:
Head over to our public project board and take a look at the issues listed in the "Todo" column. These issues are ready and waiting for contributions.
Pick an Issue:
Choose an issue that interests you and aligns with your skills and expertise.
Fork the Repository:
Fork the Forem repository to your GitHub account to create your own copy.
Contribute!
Make the necessary changes, improvements, or fixes related to the chosen issue.
Submit a Pull Request:
Open a pull request to the Forem repository, detailing the changes you've made and how they address the issue.
Join the Conversation:
Engage with the community and maintain open communication throughout the process. We're here to support you and answer any questions you may have.

What You Can Contribute

Code Enhancements: Improve existing features, fix bugs, or add new functionality.
Design Improvements: Enhance the user interface or experience to make Forem even better.
Documentation: Help us improve and expand our documentation to ensure clarity and accessibility.
Testing: Contribute to testing efforts to ensure a robust and reliable Forem platform.

Celebrating Your Contributions

During Hacktoberfest, we'll be recognizing and celebrating contributors who submit meaningful pull requests. We're excited to showcase your contributions and express our gratitude for your invaluable support.

Remember, Hacktoberfest is all about giving back to the open-source community, learning, and collaborating with others. Your contributions make a difference, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact you'll bring.

Thank you for being part of the Forem community and for contributing to our open-source project.

Happy hacking!

Reflecting on my journey: we need more senior+ and directors+ women engineers

Mai Irie — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:57:02 +0000

When I started out my engineering career back in 2006 (~17 years ago 😱), I specifically looked for companies that had at least one woman engineer. It wasn't easy as there weren't many choices and I was just starting out so of course, I had limited options. There were times when I had to take the gamble and be the only one (i.e., only woman engineer on the team, only woman in engineering leadership).

I lucked out that my gambles worked out, and I am truly grateful for that. However, it felt a bit odd at times to be the most senior woman engineer on the team. At that time, I didn't want the responsibility of being the first on the team. I didn't want to be different, and I didn't want my gender and ethnicity to be used as part of a company's brand when I gave talks, was put in front of clients, etc. I knew of women in tech groups, but took no action to join them or their meetups – I didn't understand their value at the time.

At some point, I decided to start attending lunch events for women engineers at conferences and women in tech meetups locally. I can't remember exactly what motivated me to do so, but I do remember seeing one talk on salary negotiation and attending because it was a weak area of mine. The meetups, conferences, and gatherings were unexpectedly helpful, supportive, and motivating.

Still, it made me sad when I met other women engineers who had never met any other women engineers higher than junior or mid-level. When I grew into an engineering director, I starting feeling this even more, and in turn, feeling more isolated in my own role too, with growing uncertainty and uneasiness. The idea of even considering the role of a CTO in my career path was not even on the radar since there weren't (and still aren't enough!) many who I knew of and see myself walking a similar path.

Later, through luck and circumstance, I was introduced to a few women CTOs and engineering+ directors. This was the first time I entered into mentoring relationships, as well as felt like I had peers with similar challenges.

It felt like a whole different world – less lonely, more diverse, more fuller, with greater possibilities. I was also introduced to truly amazing organizations like WEST (Women Entering and Staying in Tech) and SheTO (a play on She + CTO), which further expanded my network and support system.