Getting into GitHub Campus Expert (GCE) Program

Joining GitHub Campus Expert Program was a great experience for me though I struggled when I joined the program. I overcame those difficulties by learning during the program curriculum and by asking pertinent questions. I wrote this article to share few tips that helped me during the application process and during the program and I hope these tips will help you too.

I should have written this article some time ago, but I kept postponing it due to procrastination. So, I finally decided to share what I think you need to know when applying for the GCE program.

Application

When you apply for the GitHub Campus Expert program, the first thing to know is always capitalizing ‘H’ in GitHub.

I am joking, however it is good you know this. Wherever you mention GitHub, take note of capitalizing the letter ‘H’. It is Git + Hub. I learnt this from one of the program managers at GitHub Education.

Let’s dive in to why you are interested in this article…

Firstly, let me share my story. I became the second GitHub Campus Expert in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology early (LAUTECH) 2019, however I submitted my application around September 2018. It was life changing experience for me when I got into the program. I learned about the program from my eldest brother’s friend, who was the GCE at the time. He sent me the application link, and I applied. I had recently started my exam around that time. So I remembered that I had applied for the program at the Olusegun Oke Library.

One thing I know I can’t avoid mentioning is the problem that practically all tech communities have, which I feel I will fix with the help of other tech community organizers if I become a GCE. It is the gender ratio (percentage of male to female) of the participants in any tech program.
Unless the event is centered on females, most tech activities in LAUTECH at the time involve a few ladies. I had no idea that I still didn’t know what it meant to address this problem.

I applied with the intention of helping every female student on campus to join the campus tech community. That aided my application. I eventually got in.

Getting in was thus simple back then. The problem I encountered occurred during the program’s learning phase, which will put my talents in technical writing, tech community inclusion, and public speaking to the test. Please keep in mind that all of your abilities will be expressed in writing. So, if you are strong at technical writing, the GCE program is for you; if you are not, like me, the curriculum will teach you how to write properly.

Application tips

1. Technical writing: Basic writing is one of the essential skills you need when applying for this program.

2. Know your community: The Tech community is made up of people that are interested in technology or are about to embark on a career in technology. The majority of participants in campus tech communities are people that enjoy technology as a hobby, whether it be design, programming, product, cloud, or anything else.

3. Contribution to your existing group: Be passionate about contributing to your tech ecosystem. As a student, you can start this with your department or faculty.

4. Show it in your application that you have organized a meetup or were a volunteer for an event is a plus.

5. GitHub will review your application to determine what hurdles your tech group has overcome and what kind of problems you will solve if you join the program. Students can currently join a variety of IT groups on campus. The Developer Student Club (DSC), the Google Developer Group (GDG), Pyladies, Figma, and departmental groups are among them.

6. GitHub is looking for someone who can serve as a mentor to other tech organizers by assisting them in resolving issues.

7. Highlight problems: The issues confronting the tech group are numerous. Accessing tech events, handing over duties after each tenure to the right people, and gender ratio are part of the issues. There are not enough trainers to teach about technology. How can a hackathon foster collaboration? Maybe you are organizing your first tech event.

8. Solutions: Giving answers to the problems you address in your application also demonstrates your problem-solving skills.

9. Inclusive community: In your application, demonstrate what an inclusive community by telling them how you can make your tech community inclusive. Inclusive community is also centered on diversity.

10. Networking: Once accepted into the program, I recommend you begin networking on campus. Know the organizers of every tech groups on your campus. Share contacts, connect with them, and explain how you can assist them.

Some of my unforgettable experience

• I got my swags (hoodie, flag, bag and so on). Twitter
• I got to speak at a tech meetup full of women in tech.
• I met with a lot of other GCEs online, I travelled to another state to speak while mentoring over 120 secondary school students.
• I met with the GitHub CEO at a GitHub event in Lagos held in Civic Center Towers, Lagos 2019 despite arriving late due to traffic.

Congratulatory Email

If you are selected you to the program, you will be invited to do some tasks to know who you are. More like onboarding to the program.

Conclusion

Give the essay application your best. You can do it.

If you still don’t know how to go about your application you can DM on Twitter.

I wish you the best and I hope that you get into the program. It is an awesome experience.