Why Do I Still Submit Code to Open Source Projects?

Introduction

I have been working in the tech industry for over a decade, and one of the things that has always kept me motivated and passionate about my work is contributing to open source projects. Even after ceasing my professional programming duties a few years ago, the practice of opening up my work to the public and sharing my ideas with the broader developer community remained a vital part of my routine.

Declining Contributions

Regrettably, as I made the transition from a full-time developer to a more manager-focused role, my contributions to open source projects began to dwindle. There seemed to be less time for the kind of deep dives and code refinement that is so essential to improving open source projects. However, my passion for coding and my desire to learn from the experiences and challenges faced by fellow developers remained unabated.

Continued Contribution

Even as my professional duties outside of coding became more time-consuming, I still found myself writing code from time to time. Whenever I felt the urge to write more significant pieces of code, I would make a conscious effort to share my work. The culmination of these projects would often find a home on GitHub, where the code could be easily accessed and discussed by a wider audience.

Shared Ideas and Learning

The primary motivation for my continued contributions has been to share my ideas and insights with others in the community. By sharing my code on GitHub, I could reach out to a broader audience and offer a way for people to learn from my thought process and methodology. Whether it was a new algorithm or a particular design pattern, I believed that there was always something valuable to be shared.

I had less of a desire to directly contribute to existing open source projects. While I did occasionally contribute to projects I was particularly interested in, my main goal was to create and share my own projects and see how they could benefit from the community and their feedback.

Building a Community

Through my contributions, I have built a sense of community and camaraderie with other developers. The open source community is a diverse and vibrant ecosystem, and it provides a platform for individuals with similar interests to connect and collaborate. By sharing my work, I have gained a wealth of knowledge from other developers, sometimes through direct feedback, and sometimes just by observing how others use and improve upon my projects.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while my contributions to open source projects have seen a decline over the years, my passion for coding and sharing my ideas has not diminished. By publishing my code and engaging with the community, I continue to contribute to the growth of the open source movement and learn from others in the process. The joy of contributing and the learning that comes from the feedback of the community make it a worthwhile endeavor.