Boost Your IT Career with an Open Source Project
The IT job market is red hot. Still, many tech job seekers struggle to find the right position. Too often, it’s because they lack the experience that employers are looking for. Or they haven’t built the network of contacts they’ll need to land a job.
How can an IT job candidate gain experience? It may be as easy as contributing to an open source project.
What is Open Source?
Equivalent to volunteering, open source projects are software development efforts that bring together thousands of people across the world to contribute to – and use – code. It’s regarded as a good way to build software with fewer bugs and has lead to the creation of WordPress, the Linux operating system, and the web browser Firefox along with countless others.
Benefits of Open Source
While you won’t get paid working on an open source project, there are many benefits. Since the project you work on is one you’ve chosen, it’ll probably be fun. Because you’re improving software for everyone, you’ll feel great contributing to a noble and worthwhile cause.
Your career can also benefit from open source work. Why? By working on an open source project, you’ll gain experience that you won’t get in your day job. Most likely, you’ll learn and hone new coding skills. You’ll also gain solid experience in version control. Besides that, contributing to open source shows self-motivation and the invaluable ability to work with teams across the world. You’ll meet new people to add to your network, from near and far.
Open Source and Your Resume
If you include links to your projects on your resume and Linkedin profile, potential employers can see what you’ve been working on. They’ll be impressed that you love software development enough to spend your free time working on a volunteer project. Tap into the power of social media and share links to your projects.
Get Started
To shop around to see available open source projects, the best place to start are the Explore GitHub pages.
By working on open source projects, you’ll gain experience that you can add directly to your resume. You’ll also build your network. And when the right job opens up, you’ll be ready to impress your potential employer with your dedication and talent.
To learn more about IT careers, visit the Nesco Resource website.