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Isoken Ibizugbe: Starting Out in Outreachy

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Isoken Ibizugbe: Starting Out in Outreachy

So you want to join Outreachy but you don’t understand it, you’re scared, or you don’t know what open source is about.

What is FOSS anyway? 

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) refers to software that anyone can use, modify, and share freely. Think of it as a community garden; instead of one company owning the “food,” people from all over the world contribute, improve, and maintain it so everyone can benefit for free. You can read more here on what it means to contribute to open source.

Outreachy provides paid internships to anyone from any background who faces underrepresentation, systemic bias, or discrimination in the technical industry where they live. Their goal is to increase diversity in open source. Read their website for more. I spent a good amount of time reading all the guides listed, including the applicant guide and the how-to-apply guide. 

The “Secret” to Applying (Spoiler: It’s not a secret) 

I know newcomers are scared or unsure and would prefer answers from previous participants, but the Outreachy website is actually a goldmine, almost every question you have is already answered there if you look closely. I used to hate reading documentation, but I’ve learned to love it. Documentation is the “Source of Truth.”

  • My Advice: Read every single guide on their site. The applicant guide is your roadmap. Embracing documentation now will make you a much better contributor later.

The AI Trap: Be Yourself

Now for the part most newcomers have asked about is the initial essay. I know it’s tempting to use AI, but I really encourage you to skip it for this. Your own story is much more powerful than a generated one. Outreachy and its mentoring organizations value your unique story. They are strongly against fabricated or AI-exaggerated essays.

For example, when I contributed to Debian using openQA, the information wasn’t well established on the web. When I tried to use AI, it suggested imaginary ideas. The project maintainers had a particular style of contributing, so I had to follow the instructions carefully, observe the codebase, and read the provided documentation. With that information, I always wrote a solution first before consulting AI, and mine was always better. AI can only be intelligent in the context of what you give it; if it doesn’t have your answer, it will look for the most similar solution (hallucinate). We do not want to increase the burden on reviewers—their time is important because they are volunteers, too. This is crucial when you qualify for the contribution phase.

The Application Process

There are two main stages:

  • The initial application: Here you fill in basic details, time availability, and essay questions (you can find these on the Outreachy website).
  • The contribution phase: This is where you show you have the skills to work on the projects. Every project will list the skills needed and the level of proficiency.

When you qualify for the contribution phase:

  • A lot of people will try to create buzz or even panic; you just have to focus. Once you’ve gotten the hang of the project, remember to help others along the way.
  • You can start contributions with spelling corrections, move to medium tasks (do multiple of these), then a hard task if possible. You don’t need to be a guru on day one.
  • It’s all about community building. Do your part to help others understand the project too; this is also a form of contribution.
  • Lastly, every project mentor has a way of evaluating candidates. My summary is: be confident, demonstrate your skills, and learn where you are lacking. Start small and work your way up, you don’t have to prove yourself as a guru.

Tips

  • Watch this: This step-by-step video is a great walkthrough of the initial application process.
  • Sign up for the email list to get updates: https://lists.outreachy.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/announce
  • Be fast: Complete your initial application in the first 3 days, as there are a lot of applicants.
  • Back it up: In your essay about systemic bias, include some statistics to back it up.
  • Learn Git: Even if you don’t have programming skills, contributions are pushed to GitHub or GitLab. Practice some commands and contribute to a “first open issue” to understand the flow: https://github.com/firstcontributions/first-contributions

The most important tip? Apply anyway. Even if you feel underqualified, the process itself is a massive learning experience.