Misconceptions Beginners have about open-source software

Welcome, this is the third article in this Open-Source series. As a techie in the tech community, you would have been hearing gist or rumours about contributing to open-source software as a beginner. There are different gist around open-source. Some of these gists are true. However, there are some misconceptions beginners have about open-source software. Hence, limiting them to start contributing to OSS.

Notions like:

I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because I am a beginner
I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because I don't code.
I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because is a waste of time

In this article, I will be sharing:

How to correct these existing Notions beginners have about open-source.

I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because I am a beginner

Beginners always think that open-source is for senior developers only. I also had the same thought but that is not how it is, Open-Source is for all. You have to understand contributing to OSS is not just for senior devs. Open-source communities have made their projects beginners inclusive. This inclusion helps beginners to make their first contribution with issues labelled as;

First timer only
Good first issue
Help wanted

So, even as a beginner, you can always contribute to OSS.

I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because I don't code.

Other tech stacks always think contributing to open-source is for software developers only. Any techie can contribute to OSS. Designers, Technical writers, Data scientists, Project managers, etc, can always contribute to OSS one way or the other. It doesn't necessarily have to be code alone, there are several ways a contributor can contribute to OSS. Also, there are open-source communities that need your contributions.

Staring an Open-source project is part of contributing to the project.
Managing and Maintaining an Open-source community is another way of contributing to OSS

Chris Bongers wrote an article on other non-technical ways to contribute to open-source, you can check it out here

There are some amazing Github Repos designers can look out for GitHub, some of which are:

I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because is a waste of time

One thing I can always assure you is that contributing to open-source projects is never a waste of time. However, it can be time-consuming and requires a lot of dedication and commitment but NOT time-wasting. There are a lot of benefits to gain by contributing to open-source.

That is why the first article in this series is Scaling up your Career through open source contributions, which you can find here in other words Benefits of contributing to OSS.

Open-source is for everyone, either you are a code newbie, open-source beginner contributor, developer(Junior or senior), Designer, Technical Writer, Data Analyst, Product Manager, Digital marketer, Customer Support, there is always room for you to contribute to Open-source project.

With open-source, I have met and worked with diverse people. I have broadened my horizon because it's not just about contributing and networking for me, It's home and it is family.

I hope you found this article helpful. You can reach out to me on Twitter to ask any questions.

Correcting Existing Notions Beginners have about Open-source

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I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because I am a beginner

I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because I don't code.

I can't contribute to Open-Source Software because is a waste of time