These types of Open Source Contribution will land you a job in 2025

Summary

D. Salar, a second-year computer science student from Gujarat, shares his journey from learning programming in high school to securing a software engineering internship at a cloud startup in the Czech Republic. After mastering languages like Python, Go, and Elixir, he made significant contributions to the company's open-source codebase, particularly its CLI and backend. His intense work ethic and quick learning helped him stand out, leading to a direct internship offer. With plans to explore different tech roles, including DevOps, D. Salar's story is a testament to the power of hands-on learning, community involvement, and relentless dedication.

Takeaways

• 😀 D. Salar started coding in 11th grade, focusing initially on Python and web development, and later on more advanced programming languages and back-end systems.
• 😀 He gained practical experience by freelancing and participating in tech communities, where he built projects and contributed to open-source repositories.
• 😀 D. Salar's contributions to a Czech Republic-based cloud company involved working on CLI tools and SDKs, particularly in niche languages like Elixir and Erlang.
• 😀 He learned Go and Elixir in just one week by dedicating time to tutorials, building projects, and contributing to open-source repositories.
• 😀 Through his contributions, he earned an internship offer at the cloud company, which was finalized within one day after connecting with the founder directly.
• 😀 D. Salar's approach to learning new technologies involves building projects and contributing to real-world codebases, which accelerates his learning process.
• 😀 The internship is allowing D. Salar to deepen his back-end knowledge and experiment with devops roles, while continuing to learn multiple programming languages.
• 😀 He emphasized the importance of working in high-intensity bursts, contributing consistently (e.g., five PRs in one night), and standing out through effort rather than competition.
• 😀 Despite being in a tier-3 university, D. Salar has worked remotely for the past three years and believes that remote work offers valuable opportunities for skill growth and global collaboration.
• 😀 D. Salar advises others to focus on open-source contributions and build practical experience through real-world projects, even if they are in less recognized universities.
• 😀 He plans to continue exploring various tech roles (back-end, devops, etc.), staying open to new challenges and focusing on learning as much as possible from each experience.

Q & A

How did D. Salar get started with coding?

D. Salar began learning coding during high school, starting with Python. He also dabbled in basic web development, and later focused on real programming once he entered college.

What role did D. Salar's diploma play in his career?

D. Salar opted for a computer science diploma after 10th grade instead of the traditional 11th and 12th grade. This gave him more exposure to computer-related subjects and extra time to explore his interests in programming.

What types of projects did D. Salar work on during his coding journey?

D. Salar worked on a variety of projects, starting with simple Python projects like calculators and progressing to more advanced projects as he picked up new languages. He also built MVPs for startup founders and contributed to open-source repositories.

How did D. Salar contribute to the Czech Republic-based cloud company?

D. Salar made significant contributions to the company's CLI, writing starter recipes for languages like Elixir and Erlang, and improving error handling in the codebase. He worked on both open-source and private repositories.

What strategies did D. Salar use to learn Go and Elixir so quickly?

D. Salar used a hands-on approach to learning, dedicating a week each to learning Go and Elixir. He focused on building projects and contributing to open-source repositories, which allowed him to apply the concepts quickly.

How did D. Salar manage to get access to the private code repositories?

After contributing to the public parts of the project, D. Salar reached out to the internal team via Discord, asking about potential issues he could help with. He signed an NDA, which allowed him access to the private codebase and to make further contributions.

What makes D. Salar stand out among other candidates for the internship?

D. Salar's dedication and intensity in contributing to the project set him apart. He was making multiple pull requests each day and showed a high level of consistency and commitment, which helped him secure the internship despite competition.

What kind of role does D. Salar plan to pursue after his internship?

D. Salar plans to continue experimenting with different roles, including DevOps and backend systems. He aims to gain experience in different aspects of software development, eventually moving towards roles that focus more on systems and cloud computing.

Why is D. Salar considering moving on from his current company after his internship?

While D. Salar enjoys his current role, he is looking to gain experience in different areas of tech, such as DevOps, backend development, and systems architecture. He wants to experiment with various roles to expand his knowledge.

What challenges did D. Salar face with his compensation and how does he feel about it?

D. Salar is not fully satisfied with his current compensation, as it was lower than his expectations. However, he values the learning experience and plans to negotiate for better compensation as he gains more experience in the future.