Just over a week ago, I decided to make my first contribution to open source, specifically to a project called npmx.dev (if you haven't heard of it, go check it out now!).
To give a bit of context: I am a software developer and have been coding since I was a teenager, but only seriously since 2021. I have always been fascinated by open source, and I truly believe that building things together in the open is the best way forward for the tech community. Because of this, I have always wanted to contribute my own small piece of the puzzle and be part of it.
But I have struggled a lot with imposter syndrome and overall insecurity. As I believe many of us do, this made me too scared to actually open a PR. I convinced myself that every amazing developer would be able to read my code and see how terrible it was. This was extremely frustrating, and I was tired of letting it control me.
The Turning Point
Just over a week ago, something clicked. I had been hearing about the npmx project for a few weeks, and I found it incredibly exciting. I knew that many people whom I looked up to in OSS were working on it, and seeing the community come together sparked something inside me. My desire to contribute skyrocketed. I wanted to build more than ever, so I decided I was going to get over my fears.
Just over a week ago, I opened my first PR.
Riding the wave of this motivation, I went to the issues section of npmx on GitHub, filtered by "Good first issue", and searched until I found one I felt confident I could actually implement. I read and re-read the issue so many times. When I was sure, I wrote a comment asking if I could take it on. Writing that comment alone was intimidating—I wasn't even sure if I should ask, or how I should ask. But I quickly got an answer from the amazing @knowler, who gave me some tips and the go-ahead. So, I got to work.
Writing the Code and Hitting Publish
When it came time to write the code, I spent way more time than I actually needed to, making sure everything in my tiny PR was correct. I wasn't even completely sure how to open a PR from my forked repository. All of it was new to me, but the npmx guidelines helped so much, and the wealth of information online made the process easier. And it was honestly so much fun, which is what matters most in the end.
Finally, I hit publish.
Even though the npmx team was on an "OSS vacation"—an amazing initiative that gives open-source developers some much-needed rest—the PR was quickly reviewed by knowler (thanks again!) and approved. Seeing the "LGTM" and getting some feedback made me so, so happy. My fears of someone being rude or my code being terrible were immediately squashed. It might sound over the top for something people do every day, but for me, this meant I had fought my imposter syndrome and won.
The Power of Community
Shortly after opening my PR, I decided to make a post on Bluesky about my first contribution. I simply wanted to put it on record for myself, so, expecting absolutely nothing of it, I went to take a shower.
When I came back, I was flooded with notifications. So many amazing people from the npmx project and the wider open-source community had seen my post, giving me a giant, heartfelt welcome. I could never have expected how doing something as small as beating my imposter syndrome for a few hours would lead to this. I am so, so happy I did it.
You Belong Here
Today, I have already worked on a new landing page for the npmx.social PDS, and I am now working on a feature to change the settings of your ATProto account in the profile page, which was built by the amazing @zeu.dev. I am actively talking with amazing people from the OSS community, and I can proudly call myself a member of the npmx team, alongside incredible contributors.
I decided to write this blog to encourage everyone to take the step and contribute to open source. If you are in the same boat as me, letting imposter syndrome keep you on the sidelines, I want you to know that the hardest part is simply starting. You don't have to rewrite an entire framework on your first day. Fixing a typo, updating documentation, or tackling a tiny bug is enough to make you an open-source contributor. In my short time being actively involved, I have learned that the most important part of open source is the people, and everyone has something valuable to bring to the table.
