My Hacktoberfest 2023 Experience
Intro
Hey there! I'm excited to share my experience as a contributor during Hacktoberfest 2023. This isn't my first Hacktoberfest; I've been participating for a few years now, and each year has been a unique journey filled with learning and growth. You can check out my GitHub profile here.
Highs and Lows
This year, I had some fantastic highs and a few challenging lows. One of my biggest accomplishments was getting one of my pull requests accepted in a major open-source project. It was a feature I had been working on for a while, and seeing it integrated into the project was incredibly satisfying. This achievement boosted my confidence and encouraged me to continue contributing.
However, I also encountered some lows during Hacktoberfest. There was a project I was excited to contribute to, but I faced a roadblock when I couldn't figure out a complex bug. It felt impossible to fix, and I spent days struggling with it. In such cases, I adapted by reaching out to the project maintainers and the community for help. Collaborative problem-solving not only helped me overcome the challenge but also strengthened my connections within the open-source community.
Growth
Before Hacktoberfest 2023, I had a decent skillset in web development and had some experience with open-source contributions. However, this Hacktoberfest pushed me to explore new technologies and expand my knowledge. I learned more about containerization with Docker, automated testing, and even delved into machine learning projects.
My learning and career goals have evolved as well. I initially participated in Hacktoberfest as a way to give back to the community and improve my coding skills. However, this year, I've realized that open-source contributions can also be a stepping stone for professional growth. I'm now considering a career change towards becoming a full-time open-source developer. The experience gained during Hacktoberfest has given me the confidence and skills to pursue this new path.
In summary, Hacktoberfest 2023 has been a transformative experience for me, filled with highs and lows, but ultimately, it has opened up new career opportunities and helped me grow as a developer and contributor. I'm looking forward to future open-source endeavors and continuing my journey in the world of open-source software.
Top comments (2)
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I'm currently not working in the development industry (formally), but I love to code and did work as a software engineer in my past job. Building tools and reading up on the latest news keep me connected to the community. Contributing to open-source projects has been something I really have wanted to do but haven't actually taken an attempt at.
Do you have any tips or insights on making significant contributions and ultimately getting a pull-request accepted?
Hi,
The Tip that I can give you to get any pull-request accepted is that Present you Pull Request beautifully. Explain what you did pin screenshot and video clips if possible. And Gentilly ask the maintainer to review it. Try to make a connection with the maintainer. What I do is find them on LinkedIn make a connection and propose the feature or bug that I wish to fix. It priorities you over others and maintainer will treat you very well.