Okay so you’re a program developer – perhaps one of the best in the planet – the problem is millions of other developers and programmers are probably thinking the same thing. So how do you go about differentiating yourself from the rest of the crème of the crop? How do you become the crème de la crème?
Simple, says many successful senior programmers and IT companies, you contribute to open source projects.
So what’s are the advantage of doing all this pro bono work and creating or contributing to the open source community?
The Giants in the Pond
Before, the big software companies were very cautious of the whole open source community (blame it in the hacker culture, if you will) but in the rise of open source’s popularity and support, the giants in the software industry have decided open source isn’t a bad guy after all. As a result companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Apple are actively participating in open source for some of their offerings. They have also invested money and time in helping these software upgrade and advance, one example being Oracle on MySQL. Invest some time contributing to the open source community and these giants just might notice you.
Open Source Your Skills
When you contribute to the open source community, you will be able to not only share your skills as a programmer, but you will also be able to hone the said skills. With a whole community of active programmers around you, it’s going to be hard not developing or upgrading your skills. When you work with the best, you become one of the best. Another thing with practicing open source programming is that you are able to stay abreast with the continuing developments and changes in the tech world. Again, with your skills out there, you will be providing businesses and opportunity providers with the chance to see your work in action.
Your Open Source Work Will Speak For You
Ever heard the saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword”? Well, in this case, your work is louder than the pen. Do good work in the open source community and not only will people be using the software that you coded, but other programmers will also be talking about you. Throw your name in the hat a couple of times and there’s a good chance your name will be picked.
You’re Doing Good
Open Source is about sharing, generosity, transparency, family and all the y-ending words that give you a fuzzy feeling. And the good thing about this is that the common good is always important, no matter how you look at it. And continue to do good for the tech world and the tech world will return the favor. Sure, you might meet angry programmers or hermit coders, but all in all, the tech world is a nice place and all the little guys speaking good about the good you do will always return to pat you in the back in more ways than one.
If you’re thinking about doing Open Source coding, stop thinking about it. Just do it.