If you are into programming , there's a more than 60 percent chance that you have stumbled upon the word "open-source" more than once. Though, do you feel like you don't have enough experience to contribute to projects or either don't feel confident enough to make someone else's project better than it was? Then this post is for you. Take it from a person who contributed to some highly complex projects in C++ with a little knowledge of the language.
In the first month of my first year in college, I was completely clueless as to what I needed to do. Should I code? Should I build projects? Should I contribute to open-source? Should I join societies/clubs ? And the list never ends..
So, I decided to learn a bit of C++ and ended up watching many YouTube videos related to it. But soon I found myself get stuck in what some people call "The tutorial Hell". That is when I realized that all the knowledge that I was gaining was of no use if I couldn't put it to some use. So I enrolled myself in DevScript Winter of Code and would also suggest other fellow beginners to do the same. The program provides a list of projects from which you can choose and solve the issues.
In order to successfully complete the program , one thing I would suggest is "Be CURIOUS". Even if you think you know a lot or don't, keep pinging your project mentors and get on their nerves. Read blogs, watch tutorials related to the issue and keep trying until you are able to solve the issue and create a pull request.
The best way to learn something is by DOING. Until and unless you don't apply your knowledge to practical use, you won't feel connected to the topic and won't be able to excel beyond a certain point. You will reach what I call a "plateau" and to avoid this, you can contribute to open source projects. Start with DWOC, then maybe even move onto GSOC next!! :-D
Remember there are no limits as to what you can achieve and what defines your path is the choices that you make every moment.
Keep LEARNING. Keep CODING.
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