Taking part in Hacktoberfest 2024 has been an eye-opening experience in both the joys and challenges of open-source. Despite starting early, I was unable to complete all four pull requests as I’d initially aimed. Much of this stemmed from a lack of organization and foresight in selecting issues. I hadn’t planned ahead to identify projects that matched my skillset, which left me scrambling to find suitable contributions throughout October. As a result, I spent a significant portion of the month sifting through repositories, searching for issues where I could genuinely add value and make a meaningful impact

Discovering the Right Projects

One valuable resource for finding Android projects was Droidtoberfest. It’s a dedicated platform to connect Android developers with open-source projects, and it helped me narrow down some suitable repositories. Despite this, it still took time to identify “good first issues” that fit my expertise in Android development.

Challenges Along the Way

Running other developers’ projects on my local Android Studio was more challenging than expected. Each project had its unique setup and structure, and figuring out how the code was organized took time. This experience underscored the importance of clear documentation and conventions, especially in open-source work, where contributors are often new to the project.

Why I Participated

I joined Hacktoberfest to improve my Android development skills and stay updated with the latest technology trends. Engaging with global developers and working on real-life problems provided valuable experience, helped me improve my technical skills, and allowed me to experiment with different techniques in Android development.

Lessons Learned

This journey taught me that preparation is key in open-source contributions. Going forward, I plan to organize better, pre-select projects I’m interested in, and make sure I understand their structure in advance. I also gained a deeper appreciation for smaller contributions, realizing that even modest improvements can make a difference.

Ultimately, despite not reaching the goal of four PRs, I appreciate the knowledge and abilities I acquired from my two contributions. Participating in Hacktoberfest has inspired me to continue my contributions to open-source, and I am eager to utilize my new knowledge in upcoming endeavors.

This is a submission for the 2024 Hacktoberfest Writing challenge: Contributor Experience