GitHub Externship Guide - All that a developer needs to know!

Being a part of IncubateIND, org that’s managing the Github Externship Program in India is not as easy as it looks. Just like many Student Developers out there, it sure does bring a lot of questions around GitHub Externship and how this is a breakthrough towards being 1 of the best Open Source programs coming from the biggest Open Source Platform i.e Github.

Trying to sum it all up in an on-point yet simple article.

Article Contents:

• What is OpenSource? What’s Github’s role in it?
• All about GitHub Externships.
• Benefits of this Program
• Some Tips & Tricks to boost your chances of getting selected in this Program!

What is OpenSource? What’s Github’s role in it?

Simply, Open Source is a type of environment or an eco-system wherein the source code is made available to study, modify, and shared to the public for the purpose of inclusion in development.

Anyone can contribute to any project and the scope of development and improvisation is not limited. Basically, a vision “by the developers, for the developers”. There are some popular open-source projects such as Linux, VS Code, Mozilla, and many more.

GitHub, Inc. is a subsidiary of Microsoft which provides developers with the opportunity to store their projects & be a part of an open-source community with like-minded people. hosting for software & code base and version control using Git. 

It is the largest active platform where various developers contribute to various open-source projects and the most widely used version system control is GIT. So every time someone says open-source, GitHub is the first thing that comes to mind.

What is a Github Externship?

It is an initiative by GitHub India, launched in it’s annual event “GitHub Satellite 2021” with the vision of shaping the next generation of developers. A non-competitive(after getting selected) program for students to get experience in open source development.

A 90-day fellowship program for third or pre-final year students by Github Campus Partner School. It’s neither an internship nor a job, It's just an opportunity to work on a real-time industry project with a good stipend. (Make sure not to join with the intention of earning money.)The timelines and dates are on the official website, check it out here.

Why should you register & try to get into this program?

• Opportunity to learn as you work on real-world problems through technology as it’ll increase the scope of improvement, upskilling & working on real-life industry projects teaches you a lot.
• Learn best practices under the guidance of tech leaders from the industry because a mentor teaches you a lot rather than self-learning. 
• Live projects to showcase on your resume will boost your chances in an interview.
• Attractive stipends for the students by the project organization.
• Exceptional performers would be awarded job opportunities as well.

Some Tips & Tricks to boost your chances of getting selected in this Program!

There is no specific answer to this but I’m sharing some pro tips with you on the basis of my personal experience which will boost your chances.

Selecting the right project:

• Before filling the application make sure to go through the organization page & select the project which suits your skillset & expertise.
• Each organization card has a list of technologies & topics which will help you to select the right project for the program.
• Each organization has detailed information about the project which can help you understand the requirements.

Connect to mentors:

• Join the respective channel for further communication, the option to mail or join the channel is given in each organization card. 
• You should join to talk to the people of the organization, the mentor connects and do brainstorming with them to know more about the project then fill the application. 
• This will help you to know more about the project, doubt resolving will be done & more detailed info about the project can be attained.

Build a good Proposal:

• It should be ambitious but not hypothetical because over-committing will cause you a lot of trouble.
• It should be a well-documented project & elaborated in the tech domain as well as frameworks, libraries & programming languages.
• A proper timeline of your project must be included with a detailed description of weekly plans & deliverables.
• This proposal would play a major role in judging your application so make sure to make it easy to understand & as refined as possible.
• Make sure to add your past contribution to other Open source projects.
• Make sure to add your personal details such as contact info, GitHub & LinkedIn profile.

This is surely gonna be a breakthrough for all the open-source fam in the developer community. Having the vision of bringing “good-in-tech” by more open-source practice as said by Satya Nadella sir, this externship and even this article if being shared with the purpose to bring out more awareness into the community about this initiative. 

All the Best!