There are a number of reasons why one should contribute to Open Source and in this blog I will tell you all the important ones, and if somehow I miss something, let me know in the comments down below and I will update it, so let's get started!
What is Open Source
So before telling you all the importance of Open Source, let us first discuss what is Open Source? So for any of you who don't know what is Open Source, in simple terms Open Source is basically a platform where you can show as well as share your code, projects, codebases with anyone around the world, and it is not only for tech people, you can find people uploading their important documents, poetries, stories, applications, etc., and much more. It is basically a platform which will keep your files, your file versions, and the updates of your files like what all changes you made. You will find people helping you with your code, like finding bugs in your code or advising you how you can optimize your code, and the people who like your work will legally ask you for your work, and will have a clone of your work which will always remain yours and no one can harm or damage your work. There are many Open Source platforms which you can checkout like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc. GitHub is the best and you will find most people using it but if you want to experiment around using one of the others, you are free to do so.
Why one should contribute to Open Source
So as I said there are plenty of reasons why one should contribute to Open Source,
- To learn new skills or improve existing ones.
- To share your skills.
- To find a mentor if you want to learn.
- To gain a much deeper knowledge about the software you use.
- To build your reputation and help build your career.
- To connect with the world and create a strong networking.
- To get to know different approaches to a problem.
- Last but not least, it's fun and gives you satisfaction and you might never know that maybe your future partner or employer is watching you.
My Personal Opinion
It's better to challenge yourself in learning something everyday, doesn't matter if you are learning something new or improving yourself and for that Open Source platforms like GitHub also work a little to help you in building a streak stats for you for every contribution you do in it, and I promise that at the end of the day you'll be happy that you learn something worth.