Open Source: The Next Generation

More than 50% of developers want to contribute to Open Source but haven't yet. Most of them aren't confident in their abilities or don't know where to get started. With the demand for high quality Open Source software rapidly outpacing maintainer capacity, creating better onramps into the community is an imperative for all of us. While #GoodFirstIssues and introductory events are a start, they aren't enough if we want to train a new generation of truly Great Open Source Citizens. Instead we should be asking ourselves how to make Open Source a default part of the global software engineering curriculum. How do we ensure that every new developer coming online has experience and confidence necessary to contribute to Open Source successfully on day one?

During this talk, Swift shared insights from running the largest community of early career developers in the world and lessons learned from using Open Source to reimagine the future of tech internships to answer that question. You'll walk away with new ideas about how you can help educate, mentor, and inspire our next generation of Great Open Source citizens too.

Transcript

1. @SwiftAlphaOne
2. Hey, Call me Swift! • CEO & Co-Founder of Major League Hacking (MLH). • Aspiring lawyer who became a hacker instead. • Empowering hackers for 10+ years now. swift@mlh.io @SwiftAlphaOne
3. C.S. Degree != Employable
4. There’s a massive global shortage of qualified tech talent.
5. Unfilled tech job openings before COVID. 918, 000+ Source: CompTIA 2019 Report
6. The MLH Fellowship is the best thing that happened to me and my career Yashika Sharma @yashika51 MLH helped me become a better engineer than any internship or school ever could. Brandon Barker @projectbarks MLH taught me skills that set me apart from my peers & led to an amazing job at Microsoft! Emily Huang @huang-emily The skills & network I gained through MLH helped me land a great job at IBM. Nigel Brown @pnbrown Summer 2020 was one of the most life changing experiences for me thanks to MLH. Jessie Nguyen @jessie_anh_ng
7. MLH Community Members & Alumni 500, 000+
8. ALL LOVE HACKATHONS & MANY MORE MLH helps brands quickly build diverse talent pipelines with the hard & soft skills required for high performing teams.
9. We’re facing down an Open Source Infrastructure Crisis. (and nobody is talking about it!)
10. Unresolved GitHub Issues by Year The number of unresolved GitHub issues is exploding. YoY Growth 37%
11. of maintainers have considered quitting maintaining a project. Source: Tidelift 2021 Open Source Maintainer Survey 59%
12. Finding & recruiting new contributors. Source: Tidelift 2021 Open Source Maintainer Survey 80% Improving the experience of new contributors. 90% Maintainers need help finding & onboarding new contributors.
13. of employers say finding talent with Open Source skills is difficult. Source: Linux Foundation Jobs Report 2021 92%
14. of developers haven’t contributed to Open Source yet but want to. Source: MLH Bi-Annual Census (Spring 2021) 52%
15. “I don’t know where to start.” Source: MLH Bi-Annual Census (Spring 2021) 33% “I’m not skilled enough yet.” 31% Together, we can & should address their top concerns:
16. Tech Talent Skill Gap OSS Infrastructure Crisis Broken Education System Existential Crisis +
17. Instead of interning for a single company, contribute to Open Source software that every company depends on. Learn more: fellowship.mlh.io
18. Source from the world’s top developer community. 1 Match qualified talent based on our unique data insights. 2 Manage fellows while contributing & provide training + mentorship. 3 Evaluate fellows using 360° feedback & performance data. 4 We’ll take care of these details, you focus on what actually matters.
19. Applications from prospective fellows 30, 000+
20. Fellows graduated in previous 12 months 450+
21. ALL LOVE HACKATHONS & MANY MORE PRs submitted to major Open Source Projects 1, 300+
22. Meet Sayd. Community Member Since: 2019
23. Sayd felt like he wasn’t learning enough in class & wanted to do something about it.
24. Through the MLH community, I was exposed to the true diversity of paths, backgrounds, & possibilities. Sayd A. Vanderbilt University “
25. The fellowship has been so amazing. I have learned so many new things I would not have been able to learn on my own! Onyinyechi N. University of New Haven “
26. The MLH Fellowship gave me the courage to apply to different jobs & internship positions that I wouldn't have even considered before. Marcela I. Tecnológico de Monterrey “
27. I’ve learned almost as much during the fellowship as my entire bachelor's degree. Becoming a fellow was a dream come true! Avi J. University of Forida “
28. The MLH Fellowship was life changing. From the new technologies we learned to the new friendships we built – it truly was one of a kind! Gibson S. Baruch College “
29. I've felt way more productive having a team of MLH Fellows working on the Pallets projects the last three months. David L. Pallets Maintains (Flask, Click, Jinja, etc) “
30. I wish I had a chance to go through a similar program before I joined Facebook full time. Aparna M. Facebook Production Engineer & Mentor “
31. Net Promoter Score (NPS) 82 Best Internship Experience Ever 88% Easier to find a job in future 93% More Confident Contributing to OSS 92% From the fellows’ perspective, we’re on to something here!
32. Plan to continue contributing 81% Pull Requests Submitted 1. 3k Happier Mentors & Maintainers 71% Non-Male, Black, or LatinX 73% The ROI is clear across HR, DevRel, OSPO, & Engineering.
33. So, what lessons can we learn from all of this?
34. Build cross-functional coalitions aligned around core metrics. Takeaway #1
35. Demonstrate a clear & visible ROI from day zero. Takeaway #2
36. Think long-term, existential challenges aren’t solved overnight. Takeaway #3
37. Ok, let’s Recap: 1. Build cross-functional coalitions 2. Demonstrate ROI from day zero 3. Start thinking longer-term
38. Support the software, & the talent pipeline, your business depends on. fellowship.mlh.io/partners
39. Let’s stay in touch: @SwiftAlphaOne or swift@mlh.io