“I wish my life were a GitHub repository so that I could roll back to my last stable version.”
Drowning under the weight of life issues, but guess what? I chose to resolve issues on GitHub—just not my own.
“Programmers fall into two categories: those who love to build things and those who love to complain about things.” Boldly, I embody both. In a way, I've played the dual role of being an issue creator and a code-tributor solving those very issues on this unique journey.
Being a self-proclaimed perfectionist, I often find myself fussing over minute details that most users wouldn't even notice, investing a considerable amount of time in the process. Pause for a moment—am I steering off track in this blog? Fear not, dear reader; I might keep on surprising you with an off-track every now and then. Now, let’s leap into how Frogtoberfest ensured I stayed consistently on the right track, one ribbit at a time.
In the world of open-source, there's a unique month-long event that brings together programmers from all walks of life to contribute to open-source projects and learn from each other. This event is called Frogtoberfest; it’s not for someone with commitment issues—just kidding! It’s a place where anyone can make a difference, regardless of their experience or skill level. Let Frogtoberfest roll out the green carpet for you. Not red, because Leapfrog is green, and so are we.
The Frogtober cycle is as simple as 1-2-3: Hop, Commit, and Leap. So, unleash your inner frog. Hop around and pack your skills in a backpack with the issues that you’re interested in working on. Can't find any? No worries—create your own! Once you have identified your challenges, croak out an idea for the issues and commit to excellence. Dive headfirst into the Github pond with your pull request. Reflect on your achievements, celebrating the momentous leap of having your PR merged. Now, rinse and repeat the cycle. Hop, Commit, Leap—the Frogtober journey that keeps the code flowing!
Meet Shark, a notable GitHub achievement that became my initial inspiration to start making my first open-source PR. Despite having no prior expertise, claiming to break the Frogtoberfest was one of the most audacious things I have ever undertaken.
Accompany me on a ribbit-ing Frogventure! Learning is, after all, always free (except in formal educational settings), so I explored every possible avenue: Google, YouTube, GPT, Bard, and countless tutorials. My computer groaned under the weight of searches like, “How to become a professional open-source contributor in the blink of an eye?” However, these resources only served to brainwash me until I leaped from being a passive observer to an active performer.
Armed with newfound knowledge, I set off on the “Hop, Commit, and Leap” journey. Initially, I hesitated to claim issues, fearing discomfort in requesting tasks to be assigned to me. This discomfort was entangled with self-doubt—what if I got assigned and failed to resolve it? Enter the culprit: fear.
Undeterred, I continued my work, tackling bugs, adding features, and more. In the face of challenges, when things don’t work out, there is always a culprit (scapegoat), luck. Despite complaints about my luck, I persevered. The journey, from tentatively learning to create my first issue to the heart-pounding moments of having my first pull request merged, was an exhilarating rollercoaster of fear and excitement. With each step, I pushed the boundaries of my comfort zone, exploring new territories and conquering fears, all while questioning whether I would indeed complete the journey.
On the one hand, I was exploring the open-source journey. On the other hand, it wasn’t long before I realized I had lost track. How many times does one lose track? Well, once again, I found myself in that familiar state. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, I contributed to some repositories that, upon reflection, made little sense. The realization struck me like lightning: "Pull requests matter."
Among those few contributions were PRs such as "Add Purna Shrestha as a Hacktoberfest contributor" and "Creating different branches on my repo to increase the PR score on the Frogtoberfest leaderboard." Ah, Frogtoberfest Leaderboard—a topic I haven't touched on yet.
The Frogtoberfest Leaderboard stands as a testament to tracking progress and contributions and seeing how you’re doing compared to other contributors. Securing a higher rank on the leaderboard became a flex, and I found myself losing track in the pursuit. However, the savior Frogtoberfest guidelines and leapfrogger’s bits of advice once again acted as inspiration for steering me back on track.
Inspired once more, I refocused my efforts on making a "Pull Request that Matters." To aspiring Frogtoberfest contributors, my advice is simple: never let confusion cloud your judgment when distinguishing spam PRs. Always keep the mantra "Pull Request that Matters" in mind. Have you kept it?
There were days when frustration hijacked my journey. Half of my time seemed to echo with the question, "It doesn't work... Why?" and "It works... How?" And the other half? Well, it was a mix of “When life hands you problems, you hand them to someone else, preferably in code form.” As the issues multiplied, I reached a point where my brain struggled to keep track of the progress. Notion entered the journey as my resolute protector, stepping in to aid with time management, issue tracking, and PR monitoring, which proved to be my shield and sword. With Notion by my side, I was able to transform my journey from a hijacked expedition into a victorious conquest. As the challenges persisted, another text prompt surfaced in my quest: "How to be a Pro Notion user in a heartbeat?"
Now, equipped with a clearer understanding of what I needed to do, my journey took a delightful turn. In the words of Martin Yan, "When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play." Frogtoberfest morphed into a playful safari for me, with my frontend skills as my backpack and my laptop as my trusty ride. It resembled a hunting expedition—hopping into an issue, committing my expertise, and taking a leap.
Amidst this enjoyment, a profound realization struck me. I had leaped—from being an observer to a contributor, from a frontend developer to an all-rounder, and from the realm of endless "to-dos" to the land of accomplished "done." I used to all while questioning whether I would indeed complete the journey and finally I completed the frogtoberfest among the top 10 contributors on leaderboard. Finally, it dawned on me, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." In this narrative, I was the culprit and my luck? Well, it emerged as the unsuspecting victim.
I am deeply grateful to Leapfrog for providing me with this opportunity. While I sought only a gentle push, I was instead provided with the ability to leap—a LeapForward.
The days of wishing for “I wish my life were a GitHub repository so that I could roll back to my last stable version" are behind me. Today, I am the version that is ready to be deployed. Ribbit!