In June, I was chosen to participate in the Open Source Promotion Plan (OSPP) with ONLYOFFICE. Over the course of my three-month internship, I absorbed tremendous amount of knowledge and skills that have enriched my professional growth, both, as a student, and as a professional. I've already shared insights in a previous blog about getting started, choosing organizations, stipends, and more—it acts as a prequel to this one. If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I highly recommend doing so before diving into this blog. In this blog, I will guide you through the experience as an OSPP intern at ONLYOFFICE.

A guide through the timeline of OSPP

Program preparation typically kicks off in late March or early April. If you find the timeline for this year's program on the official OSPP website confusing, don't fret. I'll do my best to quickly guide you through it and simplify the process.

Project Release

This marks the phase when accepted projects from various open-source organizations are announced and showcased on the website following a thorough review by the OSPP committee. For those considering future program applications, it's advisable to keep checking the Project Release dates.

Registration and Application

During this period, you'll register for the program and submit your proposal (application) under your desired organization through your dashboard. This phase typically spans around 1.5 to 2 months.

Application review and Internship Experience

Following the closure of the program registration and application submission deadline, student applications undergo a thorough review process, usually done by the mentors, spanning approximately one month. If your application is selected, you will receive a notification email on the day the results are announced.
If you are selected, Congratulations on your selection! Brace yourself for an exciting three-month journey ahead!

After your selection, the process is pretty easy, and your mentor will get in touch with you for further discussions.

The experience at ONLYOFFICE

The moment I glimpsed the email declaring my selection, I was surprised. More than just the joy of being chosen, what truly astonished me was the opportunity to work with ONLYOFFICE—an MNC with a global presence spanning multiple countries and regions.

Onboarding

The day after the results were announced, one of my mentor Mona Ai reached out, extending congratulations and guiding me through the onboarding process. Shortly after, we had an introductory meeting where both my mentors, Sergei and Mona, introduced themselves, and I did the same.

Development Phase

After a series of initial meetings and introductions, we were all set to kick off the development phase. The best part? Everything—from meetings to development—was fully remote, allowing me to participate right from the comfort of my home. Despite my mentors residing in different time zones, they were considerate enough to choose meeting times that aligned with my local time. We strategically established a weekly meeting cadence, convening every Monday to delve into comprehensive discussions surrounding project updates and progress.

Over the course of these months, I had the invaluable opportunity to learn extensively from my mentor, Sergei Kosyrev, a seasoned technical writer at ONLYOFFICE. From minor syntax errors to significant flaws in functions, Sergei demonstrated unwavering patience in guiding me through every line of code I found challenging. At the end of the development process, the code repository was finally merged, along with huge success.

After months of intensive meetings and iterative changes, the project development had, at last, reached its culmination.Sergei ultimately merged the code repository, marking a momentous success.

As I am writing this blog, the project is being reviewed by my mentors and the OSPP technical Committee. The mentors, Mona and Sergei, regularly check in on my progress and well-being, creating a supportive and encouraging atmosphere throughout the entire experience.

As I bring this blog to a close, I can't help but emphasize the remarkable internship journey at ONLYOFFICE—an experience that I sincerely hope will linger as a high point, contributing to the ongoing narrative of my professional growth.

I wish it had never ended. 😢

About Me

I am Eeshaan, a sophomore studying Computer Science in Pune, India. I am fond of Open-Source, Web Development, and Technical Writing. Feel free to give me a follow on my Twitter (now X), if my blog was of any use to you. Cheers. 🍻