If you would've told me 4 months ago i'd be doing things i used to think were so scary or not for beginners i wouldn't have believed you. To me, you had to have a couple of years of experience under your belt before even considering contributing to another person's project even more making a blog. Of course, as beginners we often think what could i even add to it but trust me when i say A LOT.
I started my journey on Nov.13 2020, Hacktoberfest2020 was long gone but as i joined Tech Twitter i could see how much fun people had on it, and as silly as it might sound i remember thinking 'one day i'll join' little did i know it was going to be next year! Life has a funny way of working.
Well, if you're completely new to open source contributions you must know your way around Git and GitHub. I was lucky to have ripped off that Git Band-Aid early in my journey (thanks to more experienced folks advice on Twitter), and i can say i still struggled doing my first PR (Pull Request) but when it was accepted it was such a good day, there's a bit of me in that project!!
But Yuri, what if it gets rejected?😫
It's not as scary as you might think, my friend! Nothing happens! Most likely the maintainers will thank you for your time and if it's something you can fix they'll probably tell you!
They want you to work on the issue as much as you want to help them fix it!
What did i learn from it?
If there's anything i want from this article to stick with you is this.
- We're all beginners once🐣
Yea, yea i know, but we often forget this! We tend to think that we're going to annoy more experienced folks with questions, but let me tell you, YOU DON'T! In fact they enjoy it because it's a way to go back on their knowledge and find the best way to explain it to you.
Don't be afaid to try new things and be a beginner, specially because in tech you never stop learning.
"Throw yourself into the unknown with pace and a fury defiant" - Achilles Come Down, Gang of Youths
- Imposter syndrome will do its absolute BEST to stop you 🚩
As you're reading this 6/8 of my PR's are accepted for Hacktoberfest, it would be a different story if i just stayed in my comfort-zone. You shouldn't see imposter syndrome as a bad thing but as a sign to look back to where you're lacking, practice and take risks.
You can start with small steps, and i wish i could tell you that it will go way but it won't, it'll just become more tolerable as you get more confident in your skills and in what you can do.
It's all about knowing those are just thoughts and what better way to do counterweight than with your actions?
- Hacktoberfest community is amazing😄
You get beginners guides, tutorials, twitter spaces, discord groups, issues with 'beginner' tags, you name it! You won't be alone while participating and odds are you'll find someone contributing to open source for the first time too you can connect with!
- Just DO stuff🎯
Not promoting that brand, but it's true, JUST do it. Take that step, whichever it is that scares you, and don't overthink it. Tech community is one of the most helpful and supportive ones i've been a part of so that thing you're thinking is the 'worst case scenario what if' will probably never happen.
The only way you have to know how things will pan out is to do it, this applies to new languages and technologies, job interviews, open source, even adopting a new workout regime. Some might be more scary than others but it doesn't matter if the first step is shaky, it's still a first step, YOUR first step.
Now as October is getting closer to end, i enjoyed looking back on this month where i grew so much, in this community that never ceases to surprise me.
I really hope this article helped you, my friend.
As always thank you SOOO much for reading!! :)
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