Seeking Guidance to Kickstart Open Source Contributions and Join the Red Hat Community

[thearnab]

Hello fellow Red Hat community members!

I hope this message finds you all in good health and high spirits. I am writing today as a newcomer to the open-source world, excited to embark on a journey of contributing and learning from experienced individuals like yourselves. Specifically, I have recently acquired proficiency in Java and have a basic understanding of Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA).

With a strong desire to dive into open source projects and become an active member of the Red Hat community, I am reaching out to seek guidance on how to get started. I believe that being a part of this community will provide me with invaluable experience and the opportunity to collaborate with talented individuals.

If any of you have advice or insights on how to make the most of this journey, I would be extremely grateful. In particular, I am looking for a roadmap or step-by-step guide to steer me in the right direction. Here are a few questions I have in mind:
1.Which projects within the Red Hat community would be suitable for a beginner like me to contribute to? Are there any specific projects that align well with Java and DSA?

2.What are some resources, tutorials, or documentation that you would recommend to help me better understand the codebase and development processes within the Red Hat community?

3.How can I effectively interact and engage with the community to learn from experienced contributors and developers?

4.Are there any local meetups, conferences, or events related to open source or Red Hat that I should consider attending to further expand my knowledge and network?

5.Are there any mentoring programs or initiatives within the Red Hat community that I could join to receive guidance and support as a newcomer?

I understand that each person's journey is unique, and any advice or suggestions you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Feel free to share your own experiences and stories of starting out in open source or joining the Red Hat community.

Thank you all in advance for your time, support, and warm welcome. I am eagerly looking forward to contributing my skills and growing together with all of you.

[EmanuelHaine]

Hi @thearnab 

Welcome to the community!

I'll share some thoughts with you, however, like you said, each one has a differet journey.

First, you can engage taking a look at the category discussions we have and then, you can start learning/helping by interacting on these posts.

There are some free courses/samples and you may want to take a look:
https://learn.redhat.com/t5/Learn/ct-p/RedHat_Training

Red Hat Developers has a lot of good resources, and if you want, you can setup an account and have access to a free Red Hat subscription (study pourposes), which can lead you to use Red Hat products:
https://developers.redhat.com/

You can also find more resources here. There are a lot of useful and short tutorials:
https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/

I hope you enjoy and let me now if you have any questions.

[thearnab]

Thank you so much for your guidance

[Chetan_Tiwary_ · Accepted solution]

Hello @thearnab !

Welcome to the Red Hat community! We're excited to have you join us.

Here are some answers to your questions:

1. There are many projects within the Red Hat community that would be suitable for a beginner like you to contribute to. Some specific projects that align well with Java and DSA include:
• OpenJDK (https://openjdk.org/projects/)
• JBoss EAP ( https://jbossas.jboss.org/ )
• Ansible ( https://www.ansible.com/community )
• Fuse ( https://www.fuseproject.org/ )
• Ceph ( https://docs.ceph.com/en/quincy/foundation/ )

Please refer here the official RH GitHub : https://redhatofficial.github.io/#!/main 

1. There are many resources available to help you better understand the codebase and development processes within the Red Hat community. Here are a few recommendations:
• The Red Hat Developer documentation
• The Red Hat Developer blog (https://developers.redhat.com/blog) 
• The Red Hat Developer forums (https://developers.redhat.com/forums)

Refer here : https://www.redhat.com/en/about/open-source 

1. You can effectively interact and engage with the community by:
• Asking questions on the forums 
• Participating in discussions 
• Reviewing code
• Submitting bug reports
• Fixing bugs
• Writing documentation
2. There are many local meetups, conferences, and events related to open source or Red Hat that you should consider attending to further expand your knowledge and network. Here are a few examples:
• Red Hat Summit (https://www.redhat.com/en/summit )
• JBoss World ( https://www.redhat.com/en/authors/red-hat-summit-jboss-world-team-0 )
• AnsibleFest ( https://www.redhat.com/en/summit/ansiblefest )
• FuseCon ( https://www.fusecon.com/ )

Refer here : https://developers.redhat.com/topics/open-source 

1. There are a few mentoring programs or initiatives within the Red Hat community that you could join to receive guidance and support as a newcomer. Here are a few examples:
• The Red Hat Developer Program (https://developers.redhat.com/) 
• The Red Hat Open Source Contributor Program ( https://www.redhat.com/en/about/open-source-program-office/contributions)
• The Red Hat Mentorship Program ( https://research.redhat.com/red-hat-mentorship/ )

Refer here for “How we do it”: https://www.redhat.com/en/about/our-community-contributions 

Here is a participating guideline : https://www.redhat.com/en/resources/open-source-participation-guidelines-overview 

Look out for the latest blog posts here : https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/red-hats-commitment-open-source-response-gitcentosorg-changes

or look here for community specific blog posts : https://www.redhat.com/en/blog?f[0]=taxonomy_blog_post_category_tid:65 

I hope this information is helpful. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me or the community if you have any other questions.

[thearnab]

A great response as I expected and surely looking forward to contribute more for Red Hat and become an active member in the community. Thank you for your support and help