Why Open Source Contribution is Important?

Many newcomers to the programming sector initially focus on money or income. However, the focus should be on skill development and networking. Now, let’s get to the main point.

Many of us in the IT sector are familiar with the term “open source.” This term is very important in our software industry. Because of open source, millions of developers worldwide use software, code, libraries, and plugins without any charges. You might know that the popular Linux system comes from the concept of open source.

So, how can you contribute to open source? Suppose you are working on a feature or creating a library. If you somehow make your code or a specific part of it publicly available, other developers or companies facing the same problem will use your code and appreciate your contribution. Alternatively, you could write a blog on Medium or Dev.to

Although the commercial benefits of open source are not immediately visible, you will gradually notice them. For example, if you put a library, code snippet, plugin, or demo project on GitHub, other developers searching for related code will find yours. They will explore your profile, increasing your visibility and networking opportunities. Another special benefit is that you won’t need to prove your skills to them; your code will be enough to showcase your abilities. Someone might hire you for their work, or you might get a job offer from a company due to your impressive contribution profile.

Nowadays, many developers comment “I am interested” to get work. Doing this will almost zero out your chances of getting clients. Instead, if you provide some guidelines to their problem in the comment box, you will see that client reaching out to your inbox later. This is real client hunting.

Don’t expect immediate benefits from open source work. But you will definitely get benefits, if not today, then 2 or 5 years later. So, if you have some free time, contribute to the open source world. It will not diminish your value; rather, it will increase it.

And yes, I have received many clients from Facebook. So, don’t just use Facebook as a social media platform; use it as a client-hunting platform.

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