Acing your Outreachy Application: Tips

A brief overview of Open Source

An open source project/software may be defined as source code that is made publicly accessible for viewing, use, modification, and distribution under a permissive licence.
The majority of successful open-source projects are the result of contributions from individuals with a variety of skill sets, including not only coders but also writers, language learners, and others. If you are just getting started with coding you still can contribute in a lot of non-code ways.

For example progress is made whenever someone corrects a typo, provides a warning about a potential compiler error, patches a problem, or even adds thorough documentation to a project. Great things can happen if we combine all these tiny efforts from various people with various abilities.

Learn the ropes with Outreachy, what is it?

Internship opportunities are available twice a year through an open source initiative called Outreachy. International applicants are encouraged to apply, and the three-month internship programme includes a whopping $7000 USD stipend.

The purpose of Outreachy internships is to enable people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to succeed in the IT industry. Applications are encouraged from any individual who encounters institutionalised bias or discrimination in their country’s technology industry. It provides newcomers with a platform to start making contributions to open-source software.

Why is it different from other open source programs?

Apart from a lucrative stipend there is a lot more to this programme. It offers chances to network while having fun in addition to opportunities for job. Students/Individuals are given the chance to work with the most recent Open Source technologies and are paired with projects based on their interests and skill sets, giving them the chance to learn while contributing to real-world projects that make people’s lives easier.

Five strategies to ace your application

I’ve been asked a lot of questions regarding applications over the past few weeks on Twitter and LinkedIn. Below are the top 5 things to remember while applying.

Intial Application

Two times a year, outreachy applications are open, yay! Your odds of being chosen have doubled. Mid August marks the opening of first applications for the autumn term, followed by early February for the summer session (time period may vary). It is advised that students, especially those from the APAC region, set lofty expectations for the summer term because selection in the autumn would be challenging owing to overlapping Outreachy schedule and institution terms (since it requires minimum 35 hours of weekly availability).

1. Identify your purpose for seeking this internship

You should be able to justify your motivations for taking the internship, which should go beyond financial gain. One of the most educational experiences a newcomer to the open source community may have is connecting with varied individuals distributed across many cultural zones and forming some connections that last a lifetime. The learning curve is exponential and really enjoyable.

2. Start Early

Several essay-based questions with instructions on what should be written up front make up the initial application. You should begin drafting your essays as soon as the application period opens or even before that, and then submit them. Waiting till the very last minute reduces your chances.

3. Be truthful in what you share

A sincere attitude toward your essays is essential to being chosen for the initial application. The outreachy organisers receive a mountain of applications each year, but they only have a minute or less to review each one.
Make sure your writings are engaging and that you provide a truthful narrative that is supported by facts and personal experiences. Be specific to the point while filling out your application. Don’t write long stories if you have nothing to explain.

Individuals occasionally experience bias in the STEM area when starting their careers because of the diverse group of people with various identities. Outreachy is here to promote inclusion in the community and assist in empowering those individuals.

After Intial Applications

4. Start Contributing Early

Once your initial application has been accepted, the most crucial part of the journey — the initial contributions that will determine your selection begins.

Out of abundant projects listed choose the one that aligns with your interests the most. I’d suggest two approaches, first choose one project and make multiple contributions, second choose 2 projects and make multiple contributions. I’d personally prefer the former approach that enhances visibility, communication with project mentors and thereby presents you as a competent applicant.

There will be several applications for each project, therefore it is best if you let the mentor of the project know that you are also interested. Discuss your application strategy, pose inquiries as you make the early contributions, or provide improvements to the initial intended contribution.

When asking the mentor a question, be explicit. Do not waste their time, since they will be inundated with inquiries from new candidates. The following is a poor example of reaching out, it displays a lackadaisical attitude.

Hey XYZ I am interested in this project can you help me?

Before reaching out do your own research and try to get your queries resolved in the public channels. Give yourself a proper introduction provide a context on what have you done so far and where you need help. Here’s an example how I first reached out to my mentor,

Hello there, Antonin. I believed that direct communication would be the quickest approach to settle the issue. While Installing Camel K following documentation on a minikube cluster i encountered the following error a “kamel install” step.
“error message”

Here’s what I did:

1. downloaded camel-k-client tool binary zip from the release page.
2. added kamel to path
still the issue occurs, this github issue says the issue has been resolved but the installed file shows only “kamel” and not “kamel.exe”.
Can you please suggest some workarounds?

5. Getting overwhelmed is a good sign.

When I first started making my initial contributions, the size of the code base initially overwhelmed me. The key to understanding a project is to read the documentation rather than mugging up the code base first. It’s well known that “5 minutes of reading the documentation may save you 5 hours of debugging.” Start with minor documentation updates, such as adding information or fixing typos. then proceed to tackle good first issues with increasing complexity.

So if you are overwhelmed, don’t worry you’re going to learn a tonn of things that is a good sign as open source projects often require new contributors to shape the project with beginner perspective.

My Story

How I got selected in Outreachy 2022

I wrote a detailed blog post as of how I got started with open source and ended up as an Outreachy intern. Check it out here.

Tips for Beginners

Learning from failure is overrated, DITCH IT!

Always give yourself a second opportunity. If your initial application was unsuccessful, try again in six months. You actually have nothing to lose and will get some experiences that will benefit you in the long term. Instead of becoming sad over a failure, use your knowledge to apply for other open source initiatives. Here’s a curated list of some open source programs that you can take advantage of.

Reach out to peers and mentors on social media

On Twitter and LinkedIn, you may discover many alumni of Outreachy, including myself, and connect with them to learn more about their prior experiences. Keep the conversation courteous and be considerate of their time.

You can reach out to me on Twitter and LinkedIn if you need some help with your application, I’d be happy to extend my suggestions.

If you find this article useful do share it with others.

Good Luck!