Welcome to the second decade of our new century: Another year in the age of the internet, a dark year for the job market, and a booming, teeming, untamed world of opportunity for independent spirits of all kinds. This is the Gig Economy, and it’s our new normal. If you have a skill, it’s time to stop waiting for an established institution to recognize and hire you. Instead, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get out there on your own.

For both professional and hobbyist programmers, this means taking advantage of open sourcing to build your skills, carve out a place for yourself, and gain some recognition for your talents. So what’s the best way to involve yourself in an existing open source project? Here are a few simple tips to help you get a foot in the door and add some new skills to your resume.

The Direct Approach

If you find an open source project that peaks your interest, you can always simply contact the hosting service to locate the project administrator, and then send a message to the administrator asking to join. If the administrator approves, the host can provide you with all the rights and privileges you need to gain access to the code and start contributing to the project.

The Indirect Approach

Since administrators are sometimes reluctant to provide access to strangers, you can also take a more indirect approach by first investigating and joining the community. Who are the members of this group? What do they like to talk about and where do they spend their time? Visit blogs, read comment threads, and gain a feel for the existing discourse before you leap in with your own contributions.

Once you have a strong understanding of what’s going on within the project, download the code and take a closer look at how it’s written. See if you can find a bug to fix or an improvement to make, and tackle the problem to increase your understanding of the code. Once you’re satisfied with your change, you can then make contact and show it to the administrator. It may be easier to find welcome if you take the indirect route, but many open source communities are flexible by nature and encourage outside input.

For more guidance on building your programming skills (also your writing skills, digital marketing skills, web development skills, and any other skills that can serve you well in the age of independence), contact RPC and talk to our career management experts.