So you've found out about this Google Summer of Code thing that requires you to submit a lengthy proposal and write a lot of code. Why bother about it at all? Well, here are some reasons why you should start writing your proposal today!
An absolutely amazing learning experience
GSoC is a place where you don't just get to apply your skills but also get to acquire a bunch of new ones. And the learning is not just limited to technical knowledge. GSoC introduces you to a new paradigm about building code collaboratively. Not only that, GSoC is a platform which lets you build on your current skills and hone them. There is a project for all skill levels at GSoC!
"GSoC is one of the best professional experience a student can have during his college years. I've participated twice already, but now I'm starting to regret I didn't do this every year! Awesome! Thank you Google! "
Evelina Vrabie, Sunlight Foundation, GSoc Student 2010
"This is a big opportunity for all the students like us to use the things that we are learning in colleges in a practical manner. Thanks Google and all the mentoring organization for allocating your valuable time."
Kasun (Lakpriya) Hettige, Apache Software Foundation (ASF), GSoC Student 2010
Sense of achievement
There is something very fulfilling about getting your first patch committed upstream in some application that will be used by thousands of other folks all across the globe.
"I just want to say...it feels *awesome* when your first patch goes in. Really awesome. "
Mike Conley, Review Board, GSoC Student 2010
Hone your developer skills.
Students who are already active developers can apply themselves to a specific project. You'll get direct feedback from your mentor.
"At this time one of the most memorable incident happened in my life, where my mentor proposed me as a committer, and my ambition to become an Apache committer finally became true. "
S. Suhothayan, ASF, GSoC Student 2010
Getting involved and building your network
During the 12 weeks of writing good code, you interact and share ideas with some great people. At the end of it, you've made some great friends from all over the world with whom you can discuss fun projects, get feedback on your code, and just about anything.
"Exciting and challenging. I met kind, knowledgeable and smart people all gathered in a single place, united, working for a single goal. "
José Luis Vergara Toloza, KDE, GSoC Student 2010
"Summer of Code is about much more than just code. The sheer fun of integrating with the open-source community and your mentoring organization can in fact outweigh the gratification of actual coding. "
Kamran Khan, Ubuntu, GSoC Student 2010
Your spring-board to the open source world
GSoC is a great place to get you jump started and up to speed on the basics of the open source community. This paves your way forward for making big contributions. It's a great way to make your first entrance on the open source stage and get noticed.
"GSoC2010 was my first real foray into the Open Source World -- I had been teetering at just the edge of actual contribution for a few years, having tried out WordPress, etc. but had never actually ever submitted a patch, or released a project. "
Kunal Bhalla, WordPress, GSoC Student 2010
For the love of code
If you enjoy coding and feel passionate about writing good quality code and building great software, GSoC is THE place for you give way to your passion. After all, what better way is there to celebrate your love for the code by participating in a summer of code.
The stipend, the fame and the t-shirt
One very tangible and obvious advantage of participating in GSoC is the stipend that you make while working with amazing people on a great project. Being a successful GSoC student is in fact a prestigious achievement. It's another way to make your resume more impressive. And of course you get a really cool t-shirt too!
There has been error in communication with Booktype server. Not sure right now where is the problem.
You should refresh this page.