Community and Mentorship: The Humanistic Side of Open Source

Last week I spoke A LOT about how to evaluate open source projects. Although I think it is super important to be able to evaluate and choose the correct open source project I think the topic is isolating. Isolating because it seems very far removed from people and society. That’s the furthest thing from how I want people to feel about open source or about programming in general. It is also the furthest thing from the truth. That is why I am writing this short blog post, speaking of the community and mentorship opportunities inherent in open source.

There is a huge community around open source. That means that there are tons of people to meet from various events. You can also host events and become a speaker. That could bring confidence and purpose. And if you meet someone who inspires you they can become a mentor. They can help you hone and develop your skills.

Some say why work for free? Those people rarely live very fulfilling lives. They aren’t usually very interesting either. Or skilled for that matter. They don’t see the value of developing their people skills, in being part of something larger than themselves, and in the value of developing their own skillset through real work. That is very sad. Don’t be that person.

That’s all for today. I know it isn’t as long as some of my other posts, but I think it is extremely important to say. Many programmers tend to stay inside and in their comfort zone too much. I wish they wouldn’t. That is why, no matter what you end up contributing, please leave your room and meet real people and be part of real communities. Developing real connections with real people is always the most important thing.