Speaker
Description
Introduction
The biggest challenge in any worthwhile endeavour is often just getting started. Without taking those initial steps, nothing will ever come to fruition. How do you embark on an ambitious project? What should you anticipate along the way? How do you achieve success? These questions will be explored through the experiences of contributor-turned-mentor, Anindya Kundu.
Context/Background
In this talk, Anindya delves into his transformative journey from a novice programmer participating in Google Summer of Code (GSoC) to graduating into the roles of community member, maintainer, lead developer, and, ultimately, mentor.
Content Overview
Drawing on his four years of experience, Anindya will discuss the various areas he explored before discovering GSoC, how he gathered information about the program and crafted his proposal, his activities during the summer, and the initiatives he undertook afterward. He will then cover his continued journey post-summer, including his initiative to create a completely rebuilt version of the Music Blocks visual programming platform, the lessons learned from trying to rebuild a large project from scratch, and insights gained from mentoring other contributors since stepping into that role.
Unique Perspective/Key Details
Attendees will gain insights into how to explore and make their first contributions to projects, approach new problems, and transition from a beginner’s mindset to a growth mindset essential for tackling larger and unfamiliar challenges.
Conclusion/Takeaway
Join Anindya to discover how to enhance your experience from writing small standalone programs to building and contributing collaboratively to large projects, drawing on his journey of trial, error, and perseverance.
Any other info we should know?
It's a non-technical talk; the audience is intended to leave with GSoC tips and pointers, as well as general advice for tackling larger-scale projects. It is suitable for an audience with some programming knowledge who are interested in developing larger applications but are uncertain about how to proceed — ideal for those considering exploring open source or Google Summer of Code.
Session author's bio
Anindya Kundu has been a contributor to Sugar Labs since 2020, participating in Google Summer of Code that same year. He leads the development of the upcoming version of the Music Blocks application and mentors Google Summer of Code projects. Professionally, he is a software engineer at Sorcero with 3 years of experience.
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| Social Media | https://x.com/meganindya_22 |
| Level of Difficulty | Beginner |
| Please confirm that there are included headshots of all speakers in their profiles | Yes |
| In Person Attendance | In-person |