Contribution Story: OpenSauced
How contributing to OpenSauced turned to join the triage team.
Open-source has always held a special place in my heart. Over the years, I have had the privilege to host events as GitHub Campus Expert, write my open-source project, and advocate for the open-source ethos within my local university community. Despite these experiences, I had never truly engaged in a contribution to a specific open-source project, a unique collaboration that brings together diverse minds from across the globe. This lack of contribution was not for lack of interest but rather due to time limits and prioritizing university work.
I'm thrilled to share my journey of contributing to OpenSauced—an inspiring tale of transitioning from an observer to a contributor and eventually being invited to join the project's triage team. Through this narrative, I encourage you to actively contribute to open-source projects and provide insight into the life cycle of many such contributors.
My tryst with OpenSauced began while I was scouting for a guest for my tech podcast, Hadith Tech. I was fortunate to host Brian, the founder of OpenSauced, on one of the episodes. His insightful story about creating and managing an open-source project was enthralling, particularly his advice that project maintainers highly value contributors who display autonomy and consistently contribute over time.
The conversation with Brian inspired me to delve deeper into OpenSauced. Balancing my full-time job, I carved out time during one memorable evening to fully immerse myself in understanding an issue that piqued my interest. This involved carefully analyzing the codebase, familiarizing myself with the intricacies of the project's code, and devising an implementation strategy. Despite my eagerness to dive in, I decided to harness the renewed vigor of the following morning for the actual execution.
To my surprise, by the time I woke, ready and eager to address the issue, another contributor had already tackled it, and it was subsequently closed. This situation was a valuable lesson about open-source work’s rapid, dynamic nature, highlighting the importance of promptly declaring my intent to work on particular issues. Even though I didn't get to address the issue myself, it became clear that my evening's research could have helped expedite someone else's work. This understanding reinforced my commitment to share my findings, whether or not I would be the one to solve the issue.
Undeterred, I did keep an eye on it, waiting for an issue I could resolve. When the opportunity arose, I eagerly commented on my intent to work on it and dove into the code. I submitted my first PR, an experience that familiarized me with the OpenSauced team, the work they were doing, and the project in its entirety. I also joined their Discord server, which proved to be an invaluable resource for staying updated on project decisions, goals, and targets.
The rapid acceptance of my pull request and the team's swift communication buoyed my confidence, spurring me to explore other issues I could resolve. During this period, I also began experimenting with OpenSauced's product offerings, particularly their newly launched AI tool. As one of the first testers, I was uniquely positioned to discover and report bugs, allowing me to contribute on multiple fronts.
I approached Brian for mentorship, which he respectfully declined due to his demanding schedule. However, a few days later, he surprised me with an invitation to join OpenSauced as a member of the triage team—a significant milestone in my open-source journey.
I hope that, my journey serves as a valuable example of how one can balance contributions to open-source projects while also managing a regular job. My transformation from an observer to a contributor, and finally to a triage team member, is a testament to the rewarding experiences of consistently contributing to the open-source community.
As I have discovered, contributing to open-source projects is an incredibly enriching experience. During my tenure with OpenSauced, I have had the opportunity to learn so much more than I had anticipated. I was fortunate enough to connect with a group of fantastic individuals who are now friends and collaborators. This journey allowed me to pick up unexpected skills along the way. In addition to improving my programming acumen, I developed valuable soft skills, learned the art of effective communication, and gained practical experience with continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) processes. My daily job or university studies may not have offered these skills in such a hands-on, practical manner.
In sharing my story, I want to demonstrate the value of open-source contributions. I aim to inspire you to embrace the open-source community and start your rewarding journey. Remember, each contribution, no matter how small, has the potential to make a significant impact. So, why wait? Start your open-source journey today!
At the end, I would like to express my profound gratitude to everyone on the OpenSauced team whom I've had the pleasure of meeting during this journey. Brian, Brandon, Bekah, Sunday, Anush, Divyansh and El-Hadji (takanome-dev), for their valuable impact on this journey.
Awesome read. Welcome to the community 🎉