Introduction
Hi, welcome and I'm glad you're here. I will share things I learned during my open-source internship in this article. Back in December 2023, I applied to join Tublian four (04) weeks internship, and guess what, I got in; it was a big pleasure joining the programme. Let's discover from my application to acceptance and my day-to-day journey as intern.
What is Tublian
Tublian is an open-source platform that serves as a marketplace for anyone in the technology industry based on the credibility of their activities (Streetcred). Tublian aims to solve this issue. Their mission centers around open source, providing unparalleled opportunities for those striving to excel in the technology industry. Tublian has identified a problem with developer recruitment: the requirement for a certain number of years of experience. Tublian aims to address this issue. Open source offers transparency, accessibility, and the power of collaboration.
Tublian’s goal has always been to help developers to build in public. Because building in public and contributing to Open Source is one of the best ways to gain experience & build an amazing career in tech. Nilanja Founder Tublian
Application and how I know about it
I heard about the internship programme in September 2023 from one of my friends (Wachiou BOURAÏMA - Wasiu), he was very excited to share the opportunity and described very well the process, once completed you get hired and get paid. At that time I was busy with stuff and learning, so I decided to wait for the next cohort. On the 12th of December, I applied and received my application review response.
I do love what Nilanjan Raychaudhuri is doing, giving a huge opportunity to everyone to learn, grow, and get experience at the same time grow the open source community. Contributing to open source projects is not only by coding, and with this chance to collaborate, network, and improve skills even more, learn to code if you want to.
Acceptance in the programme
Afterward, I received the mail saying I got in, and I experienced a strong sense of belonging and felt compelled to contribute to open source projects, which I have been doing for some time.
Tublian AI Copilot
To make open source accessible and comprehensive manner to everyone, Tublian developed the ultimate tool that assists you in finding the perfect project and guides you through the contribution phase step by step in activities you will do to complete specific issues. Tublian AI Copilot helps you discover the project based on your interest and skills defined upon your profile, gives you tips on how to contribute, and helps you find a partner to collaborate on the issue or project.
It helps me find my projects and understand the project, then contribute to it.
My day-to-day journey
Well, now you know how I got accepted into the programme, let's dive into my journey activities and challenges that I encountered.
I started my journey by learning everything open source, learnt about Git and GitHub, what is open source, through community platforms such as Digital Ocean, Open source Initiative, etc. What is nice about the internship is once you join, you have a kind of roadmap tailored to give you the essential skills needed, and each week you have learning resources and at least one contribution to make.
So, contributing to some projects is kind of easy, anything related to non-technical (such as Technical Writing, Documentation, API & Technical Documentation, Translation, Review, Help, Guide, etc). Hence, I contributed to two projects to validate my two weeks and started struggling to find a project related to me. But hopefully, I have the community and like-minded people I can ask questions and ask for help, mentors, community members, and also fellow interns. Especially Harlimat - Lymah :), thank you for the invaluable help.
Lastly, I've worked on the Million.js project improving the experience and accessibility, I contributed to the translation of a few pages where the foundation got merged.
I'm really glad it got merged, and others as well will benefit from learning more about the Million project.
Takeaways and Advices
My involvement in the open source realm so far has led me to discover numerous opportunities and develop my communication, technical writing, public speaking, technical presentation, and leadership skills. I have had the chance to network with open-source experts and feel a deep sense of satisfaction that my contribution is benefiting many people and impacting their lives. I am grateful for this opportunity.
Communication and resilience are crucial for personal growth. Curiosity and research are key to improving oneself.
Anyone can contribute to open source projects in various ways. To get started, familiarize yourself with the project and find your domain of interest.
Remember your motivation for contributing and don't hesitate to seek help.
Start small and gradually tackle bigger issues. Ask questions and be patient when learning.
Be open and kind. Give back to the community by helping others and getting involved in organizational activities.
Make an impact through open source software by sharing and speaking at conferences, etc.
Conclusion
My experience during the Tublian Open Source Internship was transformative. I gained valuable insights into open-source software development, gained technical skills, especially learning about Python, and developed an appreciation for collaboration and community-driven initiatives.
Learn more about open source by following my content and reading the comprehensive guide I contributed to at OpenSauced : Intro to Open source.
Connect with me on GitHub and X (formally Twitter). I want to learn about your experience and takeaways, kindly like and post your thoughts in the comment section, see you in a future article.