If you're a college student wondering whether open source is worth your time, the short answer is yes. Here are five reasons why, and how to get started.
The industry runs on it
Open source isn't a side hobby next to "real" software work. It's how a lot of real software gets made. GitHub's 2017 Open Source Survey found that among employed developers:
- 94% use open source at least sometimes in their work
- 81% use it frequently
- 65% of those who contribute back do it as part of their job
When an employer sees open-source work on your profile, they see someone who already works the way their teams do.
It's the best way to learn
Coursework hands you small, tidy problems with known answers. Open source hands you real code written by real developers. Nobody has to hire you first: fork a project, start hacking, and if your fix is good it gets merged straight back into the original. Along the way you learn:
- How large, real-world codebases are organised
- What a good commit and pull request look like
- How experienced maintainers review code, because they're reviewing yours
It builds skills beyond code
Open source almost always means working with a team you've never met. That teaches you to:
- Explain your changes clearly
- Take criticism without taking it personally
- Work through disagreements
- Split up work and decide what matters most
In a crowded pool of developers, these are what make you stand out.
Your work actually matters
Your contribution doesn't sit in a folder after it's graded. It ships, and people use it. You might fix a bug in software the world depends on, or help build the next big idea from its first commit.
You'll find your people
Open source runs on something close to the African philosophy of Ubuntu:
People from different countries and backgrounds build things together that none of them could build alone, and the friendships made along the way often last for years. Come for the prospects, stay for the community.