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Do F/OSS Contributions Make You More Marketable?
Bucking for a Raise asks: "Assuming that Free/Open Source contributions qualify as 'experience' in a professional sense, it would seem to follow that contributing would make one more marketable as an employee or contractor. Personally, I feel that I've gained invaluable experience from my contributions. However, I'm curious to know what other Slashdot readers have experienced: do potential employers/clients feel that it increases your worth? Does it depend on the visibility or perceived value of the project to which you contribute? Do the employers/clients you've seen place any value in, or even know about, F/OSS?"
But that's what I base my consulting business around, so I guess it it sort of follows that it would:-)
http://www.welton.it/davidw/
I can just see some former employers of mine freaking out at the idea of contributing to Free Software. "What! You mean, you just gave away all that intellectual property!? And you expect me to hire you?" Probably better not to mention it.
it would definitely make you more marketable since it shows potential employers that you code for the sake of coding and not for the monetary profit gained by coding. In other words it shows that you love what you do.
Best regards, A.C.
For example, a bigger, more notable project will look more impressive. Also, it really depends on how familiar the hiring parties are with OSS. I have been turned down for jobs recently due to 'lack of experience', because potential employers failed to recognise volunteer experience as 'professional experience'.
/^([Ss]ame [Bb]at (time, |channel.)){2}$/
Do the employers/clients you've seen place any value in, or even know about, F/OSS?"
It probably depends on the culture of the company. A company that values processes, procedures, reporting and bureacracy probably won't care much for open-source contributions. On the other hand, a company that values creativity and initative will be impressed.
It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
I'm a web developer (PHP, primarily). Web developers get hobs based on their portfolios. However, I don't particularly like working in an environment that is condusive to building a nice portfolio (flashy, public sites).
I work in a closed environment. On intranet and back-end systems. I can't put these in my portfolio. So, I spend a decent amount of time supporting my language, and I work on various php.net related projects. This lets any future employers see what I'm capable of doing, even though they might not be able to see the work I'm currently doing, professionally.
Having an @php.net address (although quite easy to get if done right) is instant credibility (at least for anyone I'd want to work for).
I know of several key PHP contributors that have been offered (and have taken) positions as a direct result of their contributions.
So, in short: yes. (-:
S
Well, it'd probably get me to scrutinize your resume a bit more closely, which is a huge advantage for you.
If you had code in a release of a well known project Apache or the Linux kernel, it would probably almost guarantee you a phone call back and probably an interview. Howewver if you were bullshitting, it would be a very short interview.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I've been asked about open source contributions I've made in job interviews, but that doesn't mean it's all good.
I've contributed things ranging from ports of linux to new PPC northbridge platforms, to plugins for GAIM that were hacked together after a few to many pints of stout. Let me tell you, it's embarassing explaining to a commercial software development company what a converter from Z64 to V64 roms is used for during a job interview.
Be careful what you put your name on when you post code to the internet. What you put out there can hurt you just as much as harm...
When the potential boss asks what kind of programs I have written using foo and I suggest he google for foo and my name and the first three hits are about my contributions to three different online foo based projects.
Publishing your code is a major display of confidence.
Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.
- W. Wriston, former Citibank CEO
...the guy who was interviewing me was wearing Birkenstocks, he sported a really long beard and was wearing nipple rings.
Yeah, right.
I'm a pointy haired boss. Or rather, I'm in the hiring process for all our tech hires.
Open Source projects are an INSTANT door opener. You have work on one in on your resume, you get an interview. Period.
That's not because this is some corporate give-away, but because we're techies, here. We want to talk to you, to find out how that went, what you did, etc. We're curious. And that means you get the interview. Most of the resumes we see don't get an interview, so you're already in the running for the job, unlike the guy with similar resume who didn't get called.
Plus the drive to do this sort of thing means you're not a slug. We get a lot of slugs with VERY good resumes. They waste our time. I've never had a slug come in who had OSS authorship.
Actually getting code into a non-trivial project means you were able to navigate unresponsive mailing lists and over-booked bug tracking systems to actually get something done. That's not a small feat, IMO.
-- Microsoft is the most expensive commodity operating system and office suite vendor in the marketplace.
I got my job (starting in April) almost entirely because of my work on a FOSS project. The company had donated some hardware to help development a year ago and basically said "don't forget us when you come to job hunting". A year later, I send them an email and they hire me after reviewing the current state of the project source code. ;)
It's a good way to build up a portfolio of code to show to an employer, it shows dedication and organisation and that you enjoy development.
Of course, the fact that employers can see your source code can hurt your chances too
There's no one size fits all, however. If you're applying for a COBOL position doing payroll applications, they probably won't care that you've written Apache modules. It's all about being applicable.
One of the great things about open source software that helps me, as a hiring manager, is that it lets me see your code. I always want to see a candidate's code as part of the interview process, and open source stuff available on the web makes it real easy for me.
If a developer has gone through and say... written network card drivers used by thousands of users, that's pretty damned impressive! It doesn't matter if they make tons of money [by doing it for 3com or whomever] from it or not [by doing it for a free OS].
Cool stuff is universal.
If you list it properly it will probably be recognized by both HR drones and by technical personel.
Of course techs and managers with actual experience will acknowledge coding work for what it is worth regardless of who you did it for (the bigger and more popular the better though, if you screw up the manager needs to be able to justify hiring you).
HR on the other hand is looking to sit if you fit the criteria needed for the job. If you spend 6 months working on an open source project, you list it as a place of employment alongside all the others and describe your duties just like any other.
I'm applying for IBM's Extreme Blue internship this summer (gotten past the first two interviews, hope to take the IPATO test tomorrow or something). If you've done something notable for an open source project of some sort, you get major props towards them accepting you.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
It's a definite door-opener, as others have suggested.
I hire development contractors nearly every month, and every single one of them has been chosen because they proved themselves capable by working on interesting, well-designed, projects. It's not the only way to prove it, but any proprietary software on a resume is out of my reach. I can't read the code.
I'm searching now for a part-time jack-of-all-trades to help out in my new office (i.e. telephone support, perl, python, bash, documentation, some basic book-keeping, building/installing servers, etc.) and I'll be much more likely to hire someone with some Open Source projects on their resume. Not only that, but I'll be much more likely to pay them at the higher end of the pay scale.
Open Source developers are great because I can see the code to get a solid grasp on their abilities, see that they truly enjoy the more complex aspects of technology (because why else would they be writing code for no money?), and I can see that they are more likely to want to take an active part in the kind of business I'm building. I'll probably enjoy having them in the office more, too.
That's not to say that all, or even most, companies that are hiring developers, consider all of these things as positive...it's just that I know that Open Source friendly companies are becoming more common, and you're probably more likely to rise to the top of the resume heap at the companies that will be more fun to work for.
Just think about it like this:
Who would you rather work for:
Google or Microsoft? Which one is more likely to hire an Open Source developer? Right!
Extreme examples, I know, but I think the trend holds for the majority of industries that develop software. I could be wrong, of course, but every time I try to think of a comparison of predominantly proprietary vs. predomintantly OSS, I come up thinking the OSS company would be more fun to work for. Zope vs. Vignette? Red Hat vs. SCO (pre-lawsuits, even)?
Put your projects on the resume. Be proud of your OSS work. Even if the company you're hoping to sign on with doesn't do Open Source, taking pride in your work always looks good to potential employers.
I landed my last two jobs in part because of my contributions to projects on my own time. Employers value the fact that you work on things out of your own interest and not just because you're being paid to do so. It shows you as a more motivated and creative individual..
I didn't get the last interview I applied for because I'm not a heavy linux kernel developer. I've worked with the FreeBSD kernel, but that isn't even of interest, because they know nothing about FreeBSD, while they know linux.
Which is strange, because the FreeBSD license is a lot easier for them to deal with, and I suspect the FreeBSD kernel would be just as good for them. (If not better)
Back in the day, I helped out bring PHPSlash out of a funk and cobble up a couple of releases for the team. I eventually became one of the project leaders for a few years and was nice to most of the people on the lists.
Then I was laid off, got depressed, and lost all my drive to code. After about a year of no work the first break I got was from a guy who I helped install phpslash on the phpslash-users list years prior.
--Ajay
There's a link to my page in the sig, which explains all about what I do and what I do it with. In short, Linux, Apache, Tcl, other various open source tools.
http://www.welton.it/davidw/
I'm a programmer with 21 years experience, was a manager for 3 years (didn't like the PHB gig), currently a lead programmer. I filter the stacks of resumes that HR sends to my managers (clueless PHBs). I choose who will be interviewed.
If you list F/OSS projects on your resume, I will be more interested. You are more likely to get an interview.
Anything that makes your resume stand out from the rest is good. You probably wouldn't want to work for anyone that counts F/OSS as a negative.
If God had meant for man to see the sunrise, He would have scheduled it later in the day.
I have found that being able to pull a laptop out of my bag and demonstrate a relevant piece of free software at a job interview puts me ahead of the crowd and often gets me the contract. I wont say that my software is the best there is or that it has got me every job I've applied for but it has certainly made a BIG diference. If nothing else it gives me something to fill the time they could be spending thinking of more difficult to answer questions.
Oxford Dictionaries Online
I don't see any other postings with a story similar to mine, so...
I was a developer in the financial industry for 10 years. All I ever developed on professionally was Windows and MS tools. I tried for years to get management to look at open source, or even anything non-MS, but with no success. Attempts to get jobs not using Windows were impossible without experience. I started to contribute a few modules to an open source project. Two months later and I'm now in an all open-source development company.
Point of the story: I was locked into one development platform professionally until I volunteered time to contribute open source. 10 years of proprietary development and I can't show anyone my work. 2 months of open source development and anyone can see the quality of my work.
It absolutely makes you more marketable to people who are interested in F/OSS or at least open-minded to it. From now on those are the only employers I'll be sending my resume to.
Developers: We can use your help.
When they get a whiff of the debt a F/OSS developer can submerge himself into, they'll flood his mailbox with "Pre-Approved" offers (on icky paper).
The fact that you have a lot of computer technical skills shows that you could certainly master COBOL in a week. COBOL WAS DESIGNED TO BE EASY TO CODE, AND IT IS.
However, the management will be eyeing you to jump ship just as soon as a "more modern" opportunity lands at your doorstep.
So, it depends on how desparate the management is to find a COBOL guy. If it comes down to a choice between some one like me, with 30 years as a COBOL developer, and you with your Free/Open Source contributions experience, the choice would be clear, even though you would probably could code just as well as me in a few days, and your other workplace skills would equal mine.