Some might ask why we contribute to open-source projects, especially when we are not getting paid for doing so. It is something for which we willingly sacrifice our free time and spend hours of work reviewing, investigating, thinking, fixing, commenting, reviewing again, and finally merging. I still need to become an expert in this field, and I've just started building my open-source project. So far, I have learned a lot of things, and the more I get involved, the more I like it and the more I see the benefits list growing.
So far, with my open-source project, there's not much of a business element involved, well, at least, no direct business. The fun part is that the operations are more or less the same.
A successful project will unlock three future opportunities for the whole team working on it. My belief in this new way gets more robust the more time I spend on this.
๐ Exposure and career opportunities
I've been hiring a lot and working with recruiters. Skilled recruiters who want to avoid spam on LinkedIn are looking for senior engineers on Github. That makes sense because good software developers tend to contribute here and there when they have time. Whether it's a sports interest or a desire to help or learn something - it all works. Now, the tricky part is that if you do only private projects, top secret super business code, nobody will ever see that. A successful open-source project is proof of leadership, culture, team play, and development skills.
๐ A strong and synchronised team
If the squad manages to build one project, maintains it, and cherishes a positive vibe and communication, this team can develop more products and solutions in the future. And it means it can be something other than open-source! Think about it - how many people do you know to whom you could share your startup idea and start working on it? Think about the tech stack, ways of contributing, PR reviewing, presenting, sharing ideas, brainstorming, and all other operations needed. Remember you're going to make some new friends too!
๐ Big user base, the platform to launch
So, we discussed exposure and team, and now it's time to talk about clientele! There must be some traffic and usage if there's a product and contributors. Imagine if you can pull it off and there are thousands or even more users; that could be a launchpad for something else in the future. Whether it's consulting, custom solutions, paid features, or total pivoting from the free idea - if you have users you can tell about your next thing, you're in the good zone.
Even though I started this project not so long ago, I have received some interesting LinkedIn messages. I didn't expect that, but it's getting interesting so far.
And to add, in the end, I wanted to share one more thought that spins in my head. Venture Capitalists always ask how you will build a team, and hiring sound engineers are expensive. And I'll leave this to lay in your minds a bit.
Thanks for reading till the end. I hope you like it. The project I was referring to is called Isomera https://github.com/cortip/isomera.
Top comments (2)
Good article.
I enjoyed reading.
Thanks! ๐