For the longest time, I believed contributing to open source was something only “seasoned developers” could do. I pictured huge, complicated codebases and intimidating review processes. But recently, I made my very first open source contribution—and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding learning experiences I’ve ever had.
In this post, I’ll walk you through my journey: how I got started, what I contributed, what I learned, and why you should try it too.
How To Find the Right Project
The first challenge was figuring out where to contribute. GitHub is full of amazing repositories, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I started by looking for beginner-friendly issues using labels like good first issue and help wanted.
Eventually, I came across a project called first-contributions.
Understanding the Workflow
Before writing any code, carefully read the project’s README and CONTRIBUTING.md file. These documents are gold for beginners—they explain how to set up the project, the coding style, and the process for submitting changes.
Making My First Contribution
My first contribution wasn’t something massive—it was improving a README section.
Here’s the process I followed:
- Forked the repo
- Cloned it to my local machine
- Created a new branch for my fix
- Made the changes
- Committed and pushed the code
- Opened a Pull Request (PR)
What I Learned
Here are my biggest takeaways from this first step into open source:
Open source isn’t as scary as it looks—maintainers usually want you to succeed.
Even small contributions make a difference. Don’t underestimate fixing a typo or improving documentation.
Reading project guidelines before jumping in saves a lot of time.
Collaboration and communication matter as much as writing code.
If you’re thinking about contributing to open source, here’s my advice:
- Start small. Documentation fixes or simple bugs are great entry points.
- Look for “good first issue” labels. They exist specifically to help beginners get started.
- Don’t be afraid of mistakes. PR reviews are part of the learning process.
If you’ve made your first contribution, I’d love to hear your story too!
Top comments (1)
Your journey into open-source is truly inspiring, Rutika! Starting with beginner-friendly issues and embracing the learning process shows that anyone can contribute. Thanks for sharing your experience and motivating others!