Getting Started with Open Source

The world of open source is intimidating. Using open source feels like magic. There are these wizards that do this magical work, and you get to use it.

In reality, open source software is written by everyday software engineers like you and me. People who write software with bugs. People who don’t write tests (I’m guilty of this!). People who don’t think of every single edge case. People who don’t always follow best practices (e.g. DRY code).

You can contribute too! You'll get to:
- Learn from others to become better coder.
- Build your brand / reputation. Put it on your resume. Speak at conferences. Get more opportunities.
- Feel good by giving back.

It's easy. Just start by making small changes to open source libraries you already use!