Hacktoberfest'23: Acting like a dev

#hacktoberfest #hacktoberfest23 #opensource #beginners

Introduction

Greetings, everyone! I'm Pranav Rustagi, currently pursuing my master's degree at NIT Kurukshetra. I'm deeply passionate about web development, with a specialization in crafting frontends for web applications and websites. If you'd like to connect with me, here are my social media handles:

GitHub: https://github.com/Pranav-Rustagi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranav-rustagi/

Embracing Open Source: A Journey of Learning

My journey into open source began last year during the exciting Hacktoberfest'22 event. Driven by a desire to grasp the intricacies of open-source development (and, let's be honest, to snag that cool T-shirt), I embarked on this adventure. During the event, I successfully contributed to a repository by making small but meaningful changes, resulting in four PRs getting merged.

The momentum of open source kept me going, and I continued my journey by participating in GSSoC'23, where I achieved a rank of 198. However, it was during Hacktoberfest'23 that I decided to pivot my contribution approach. Until then, I had mainly focused on issues and features that I could easily tackle. But what's the fun if you don't push your limits and learn something new?

Riding the Highs and Navigating the Lows

During Hacktoberfest'23, I took on the "Ezmail" project, which introduced me to Svelte, a technology I had no prior experience with. With determination and a deep dive into the codebase, I identified unaddressed features and requested assignments for them. The learning curve was steep, and there were moments when it felt like I had hit a dead end. However, my perseverance paid off as I successfully implemented those challenging features.

A Message to Fellow Open-Source Enthusiasts

I've observed that during events like Hacktoberfest, a significant number of developers, often students, submit PRs that involve trivial changes like adding their name to a README file or inserting quotes into a repository. While such repositories serve as a great entry point for newcomers to open source, I firmly believe that these contributions do not maximize the value for the contributor. As developers, our core activities revolve around two key tasks:

Writing code that adds functionality and value.
Fixing the bugs we introduce :')

So, my message to fellow open-sourcers is this: Aim high, learn continuously, and make meaningful contributions that not only benefit the community but also enhance your skills and knowledge. Happy coding!