How to make the most out of HacktoberFest 2021

Hey there folks, HacktoberFest 2021 is right around the corner. It would be beneficial for you to make the most out of HacktoberFest and get started into Open Source Contributions. Lets start with some basics.

What is HacktoberFest and Why should I care?

Well, in simple language, HacktoberFest is a event hosted by DigitalOcean every year throughout the month of October in order to encourgae more and more folks regardless of wheather they have development skills or not to start contributing to Open Source Projects. Open Source is a great way to build up your online presence and get known by folks around the world. This will open up plently of opportunites for you based on your skills.

For example, lets say you are not great at development but you are great at creating graphics. You can find a project that needs some sort of Graphics Designs, and sumbmit your designs to that project. This way folks will come to know about your designing skills and could very well reach out to you.

How do I get started with HacktoberFest?

First thing you will need to do is learn Git and Github. You should learn how to make commits, push your commits and make a Pull Request(PR). There are more things but these are the basics you will need for Hacktober.

Next, head over to the official website of HacktoberFest 2021 and register yourself for the event. Note that you will require a GitHub or a GitLab account in order to sign up. Github is the most famous open source website, but there are others as well.

Now, starting on October 1, till the end of the month, you will require to make good, meaningfull PRs on repositories which have the tag HacktoberFest 2021. Pull requests which are Spam will not be counted towards the progress on this event. These PR's will count towards your progress towards HacktoberFest. Once 5 PR's that you make get approved and merged with the repositores, you will be eligible to get HacktoberFest swag which includes a HacktoberFest T-shirt. There is a possibility of other swags as well.

Please make a note of the following not just for hacktoberfest but for any, and every event: Don't let the Swag be your main motivation for joining the event. Let the motivation be of learning something new, networking and innovation.

Benefits of HacktoberFest

HacktoberFest is a great way to show that you are involved with communities and are keen on contributing to various projects. It will help you to get into Open Source which in itself is a great place to devleop your skills, get guidance, network and a lot more.

I look forward to seeing all you folks participate in HacktoberFest this year and start getting into Open Source.
Be well and continue learning.