Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Talk by Lola Egherman, Ramiz Rahman
socallinuxexpo.org/scale/23x/presentations/no-internship-no-problem-using-open-source-your-first-real-world-job
For a lot of students and early-career developers, the hardest part of “breaking into tech” isn’t learning syntax or picking up new tools, it’s answering one paradoxical question: “How do I get experience when every job already expects experience?” Open source already solves this, but most newcomers enter projects feeling overwhelmed, unsure where to contribute, and worried about bothering maintainers. The truth is that open source can function as a student's first real engineering job when they know how to approach it, and when mentors and maintainers create environments where newcomers can succeed.
Talk by Lola Egherman, Ramiz Rahman
socallinuxexpo.org/scale/23x/presentations/no-internship-no-problem-using-open-source-your-first-real-world-job
For a lot of students and early-career developers, the hardest part of “breaking into tech” isn’t learning syntax or picking up new tools, it’s answering one paradoxical question: “How do I get experience when every job already expects experience?” Open source already solves this, but most newcomers enter projects feeling overwhelmed, unsure where to contribute, and worried about bothering maintainers. The truth is that open source can function as a student's first real engineering job when they know how to approach it, and when mentors and maintainers create environments where newcomers can succeed.
