Week 1
Why Am I Here in Open Source?
I decided to take Open Source this semester for several reasons–the main being that I’m a morning person, and Open Source is one of the few morning CS electives offered at Hunter. (I know, I know, a programmer that loves the morning. Perhaps contrary to the stereotype of your average programmer, but what can I say? We programmers that enjoy waking up to the sunrise are a very rare and endangered species. ) Aside from the benefits of a productive start to the day, I also decided to take the course because I’ve always been interested in contributing to an Open Source project, but never really knew where to start. I doubted for a long time that I was qualified enough to start anywhere. Afterall, there’s still so much to learn. I’m hoping that by the end of the course I will learn how I can use my degree skillset to give back to the world–particularly in the area of education.
Purely Selfish Goals
I’ve had a long-standing interest in improving people’s access to educational resources. I grew up in a community where a lot of my peers dropped out because they lacked the resources necessary to thrive in the school system. This gave me an early perspective on the importance of an educational system for all. When I got selected for a top high school, I noticed the richer academic experience I received and instantly wondered what would’ve happened if I had had access to that experience earlier in my educational career.
Now that I’m in this course, I’m excited to apply some of the skills I’ve learned (and those I have yet to learn) to fulfill one of my personal passions. Plus, I get to learn how to do it all in this morning class. It’s really a win–win. One day I would like to contribute to free and open source educational software/resources so that people who can not afford to purchase competitive products can use them openly to expand their knowledge. I firmly believe that everyone has a right to a rich educational experience no matter what barriers they face (age, language, economic status, etc.) and would love to be a part of a community that makes that happen.
