Arunima Chaudhuri's Blog

2022 Wrap up

2022 Wrap up

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Arunima Chaudhuri
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19 min read

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New Year, New Beginnings

After a mix of enjoying online classes and exams and at the same missing college life and friends, it was finally time for offline exams in December 2021. 🥺

After struggling to maintain the CGPA I got in my online exams in offline exams as well, it was time for enjoying vacations. I was preparing for the GATE exam but procrastination hits its peak as the exams come closer. So I was enjoying watching a web series and postponing my revisions 🙃. That's when I came across this quote.

कौन कहता है आसमां में सुराख नहीं हो सकता , एक पत्थर तो तबियत से उछालो यारों...

Who says there can't be a hole in the sky, throw a stone with your heart, friends...✨

It means, unless you try you will never know how far you can go.

This quote got stuck in my mind and always motivated me to try harder and believe in myself. 💖

A Journey of Learning and Exploring

GATE 2022

GATE is an exam conducted in India for admission into the Masters Program. I was in my third year of college. I wanted to get a good rank right in my 3rd year so that I will be free in the 4th year for exploring new things. After completing my revisions finally, the day came for the exam. On 5th February 2022 (Saturday) I completed the exam at noon. After returning to my hostel, I matched the answers and found out that it was enough to get a decent rank. Finally, the results came out and I got AIR 1048 in the exam. I got featured on our college website too!

Learning From Experiences

After GATE I started preparing my resume and other profiles like LinkedIn and GitHub. I soon realized that I had nothing to write.😓

But I somehow managed to fill up one page with some basic projects like Sudoku Solver, a to-do list and 2 other basic front-end development projects. I just knew the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I also had a few HackerRank badges to add to it. I knew that it was not great but still I started applying for internships. No doubt I faced multiple rejections. The worst was that I also got rejected from some unpaid internships.

There was a perios of around 2 and half months where almost everyday I woke up and checked my emails just to see a rejection letter. 😔

Then I got selected for an unpaid internship which was terrible. Within 2 days I realized that I am simply wasting my time and energy. I left it and never again applied to such internships. I uninstalled the Internshala account and never opened it again.

But despite all this, I had my friends and family always cheer me up. No matter what they would never fail to make me smile. I also have regular coffee with my mother in the morning and evening. This would help me relax and chill even on bad days. 🧡

Then I started Googling about good remote internship opportunities. That's when I got to know about open-source. I started researching about open-source programs and joined various communities. Here are a few resources to help you get started as well:

How I improved myself

Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.🛣

  • A big no to unpaid internships. They are extremely draining. I stopped applying to internships which asked me to complete an entire task as an assignment and then send a rejection.

  • There are multiple other options which don't require a great resume but can help in upskilling. I tried exploring them. Some of them are volunteering in various global communities, Hackathons and open-source.

  • I went through a lot of LinkedIn profiles of students who have cracked good opportunities in open source and stored the details of the programs they have been a part of in an excel sheet.

    Name of the program / scholarship / conference

    Application start date

    Application end date

    Link to google docs where I wrote down the tips for the application/interview process

I stored them in ascending order of the application start date. This helped me a lot to avoid missing deadlines.

I also kept a separate part for storing information about the programs whose applications are opened throughout the year.

Name of the program / scholarship / conference

Link to google docs where I wrote down the tips for the application/interview process

I gathered the tips by watching a lot of YouTube videos of students who have already cracked them. I also went through a lot of blogs to further know about the programs. I wrote everything down on a Google doc and added the link to the table.

  • Joined global communities I got to know while researching these opportunities. This gave me global exposure to various opportunities and changed my mindset completely. I wish I had joined them earlier. But better late than never.

  • Followed their pages on LinkedIn

  • Started attending their community meetings

  • Signed up for their newsletters to stay updated

  • Started attending conferences and meetups. I got to know about them from their LinkedIn pages or their newsletters

  • Started contributing to open-source. I started with very basic like correcting spelling or grammatical errors, adding links or images, and translations to different languages (it can be easily done with Google Translate). Then I started working on adding basic features like padding/icon/margin. Then I worked on adding features like adding a nav menu, improving responsiveness or adding some other small features. This helped me slowly navigate the codebase and at the same time contribute and add value to the project. I further referred to the merged PRs to further understand the project.

  • Started networking with people and upskilling myself

  • Prepared answers for the commonly asked interview questions and kept the answers ready with the questions on a Google doc.

Finally, in July, I got selected for 3 opportunities:

  • Open Source Hack mentor

  • Linux Foundation and Training Scholarship in Women in Open Source Category

  • MLH Fellowship (Prep)

Yay! My first swag. It was from RedHat for collecting enough points at the RedHat Summit 2022 Virtual Event. 😍

Mentor at Open Source Hack

Open Source Hack is a virtual open source program by the AnitaB.org Open Source Community.

How I got selected

I was a part of their Volunteerism Bootcamp and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. I attended community meetings regularly. Through the meetings, I got to interact with women technologists from all around the world. I had signed up for the newsletter.

In one of the weekly newsletters, there was a form for applying as a mentor at Open Source Hack. I thought that I am getting rejected as a mentee so how can I get selected as a mentor and skipped it. Then again the next week there was a link to the form and it was the last date to apply. Then I thought of giving it a try. In the worst case, I will get rejected. 5 hours before the deadline I started filling up the application form and applied for it. In the application I focused on:

  • My involvement and contributions to the community as a whole

  • My tech stacks and the AnitaB.org open-source projects that I was familiar with

This is very special to me as it was the first acceptance email that I got. It was the stepping stone in building up my confidence in my skills. It also helped me realize that even I can get selected for global programs.

Firsts are always special 🥰

What I learnt from it

  • While reviewing PRs and giving feedback I learnt a lot about how to be respectful while giving feedback.

  • I learnt to value others' time by reviewing PRs as early as I can.

  • While guiding the participants on making contributions and troubleshooting issues I learnt a lot about those tech stacks.

  • I also realised how fulfilling it is to be able to give back to the community from where I learnt so much.

  • It also allowed me to make a positive difference in others' lives by helping them get started with open-source contributions.

  • Later I also got a free ticket to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration(GHC) virtually.

  • Currently, I am also a member of their Software Engineering Committee.

MLH Fellowship (Prep) - July

What Helped me get selected

  • Watched all the MLH Fellowship info sessions on YouTube

  • Read every line of the application form to understand what they are looking for. The application form is well explained and they have clearly said what they are looking for.

  • I got rejected 3 times for the main fellowship. 2 times I reached the final interview. In the last rejection email, they mentioned the Prep program. That's how I got to know about it and applied for it.

  • With every rejection, they also mentioned why I got rejected and how can I improve. I noted them down and worked on them.

  • I got my application reviewed by past fellows and worked on the feedback given

  • After every interview, I noted down the questions and prepared them well for the next interview.

  • Many students posted their rejection emails on Twitter and LinkedIn. I referred to them as well to get an idea of what mistakes to avoid.

🔵 If you have doubts regarding which project to submit and how to write the answers in the application form then watch the MLH Fellowship info sessions on YouTube.

Tips for interview

  • Be honest in the application form. Share your story, experiences and why you are passionate about the program. Avoid copying.

  • Save a copy of the application form before submitting it.

  • Make sure you have a good internet connection.

  • Practice well if you are not fluent in English. Since it is a global program and also remote, they expect you to have good communication skills.

1st interview

  • It is a behavioural interview where questions are generally asked from the application submitted.

  • The interviewer also clarifies the basic eligibility criteria.

  • Highlight your achievements in the interview and why are you passionate about it.

  • MLH Fellowship website: Go through it properly to understand what the program is all about.

  • Read about MLH and their community values. This will help in giving better answers.

  • Prepare some good questions to ask the interviewer

There is no luck. Preparation is the key.

Luck favours the brave.

2nd interview

  • This is a technical interview where you will take the lead. You will share your screen and do a code walkthrough of the project you submitted.

Technical questions mainly depend on the tech stack and the project you are submitting. But here are some common questions that are asked regarding the project:

  • How you built it? Explain the steps

  • What is unique about your project?

  • What real-world problem does your project solve?

  • If given a chance to do the project from the start, what would you do differently?

  • What were the challenges you faced while doing the project and how did you overcome them?

  • While doing any project what are the steps you follow?

  • What are the future plans for the project?

  • Is there some existing solution for the problem you are trying to solve? How is your project different?

  • Why you used these tech stacks? Is there any other way to do it?

  • Prepare some good questions to ask the interviewer

And finally... 🤩

The Fellowship Journey

Good times + awesome friends + amazing memories 🤩

  • The 3 weeks were full of fun and learning.

  • I made some amazing friends from all around the world 🌍

  • We collaborated on solving issues and adding different features. Each of us shared our ideas and approaches to problem-solving and we learnt from each other. Some of the participants also helped others complete their tasks.

  • As a part of the fellowship, we were supposed to book a 1:1 meeting with each one from the POD and have a chat with them and know each other.

  • We also had our POD leader who guided us at every step.

  • We had daily stand-ups where we shared our progress so far and discussed if we were facing any blockers

  • Every Friday we played some cool games

  • Every Wednesday a few fellows also gave lightening talks

  • These activities not only improved our development skills but also helped us in improving other soft skills like presentation and communication.

  • Finally, we completed building a weather app and a portfolio website and the 3 weeks came to an end

Just a few months back I had nothing in my resume. But I got selected. So even you can. 🤩

Wanna grab this amazing opportunity? Go ahead and apply for it! 🔥
MLH Fellowship Prep Proogram

HacktoberFest

Hacktoberfest is a month-long celebration of open-source projects, their maintainers, and the entire community of contributors. Everyone was sharing their badges on LinkedIn after registering for Hacktoberfest. I was a bit afraid to share as I was unsure whether I could get 4 PRs merged or not to be able to complete the program. 🥺

But I finally got 28 PRs merged as quality contributions. 🥳

  • The Google Summer of Code website is a great place to find open-source projects and communities

  • I joined their public channels, introduced myself there

  • I started attending their meeting to know more about the projects. The maintainers helped me a lot in getting started with contributing by helping me find issues which are beginner friendly and align with my skill sets

  • The communities were warm and welcoming to newcomers.

  • I met some amazing people from these communities and learnt a lot from them.

MLH Fellowship - September to December 2022

What Helped me get selected

  • I applied to the main fellowship after completing the Prep

  • Hence, my application got fast-tracked and I got a direct call for a technical interview.

  • I had given 3 interviews before this. Every time I noted down what questions they asked on the projects. Hence, I was well prepared and performed well in the interview.

  • I highlighted my past open-source and volunteering experience in the interviews.

🔵 If you have doubts regarding which project to submit and how to write the andwers in the application form then watch the MLH Fellowship info sessions on YouTube.

I remember rechecking this email, again and again, to make sure it is the selection one. 😍

The Fellowship Experience

What we learn with fun and collaboration, we never forget.

I was one among the 94 fellows selected for the MLH Fellowship Fall cohort from 4000 applicants. This is something I could have never imagined a few months back. This was possible only because of open source. I was a Software Engineering Fellow and worked with Solana labs for 12 weeks.

I had no idea about Blockchain when the program started. When I looked at the repository for the first time and the tasks that we were supposed to do, I doubted whether I will be able to complete them or not. I started looking at the minimum graduation requirements for the fellowship.🥺

But finally, we were able to build a Python SDK for the decentralized finance platform Zeta from scratch. ✨

This was only possible because of the amazing support that MLH gives to the fellows. We had sessions where we got introduced to Solana Blockchain through live sessions of building projects. We had mentors and POD leaders who guided us at every step. Pair programming, brainstorming, and learning from each others' problem-solving approaches are something that helped all of us grow our skills and enjoy the journey.

Finally, I successfully graduated from the fellowship. I also won some extra swags for attending the maximum number of sessions during the fellowship. 🤩🥳

Here are a few resources that I used to get started with building on the Solana Blockchain:

Wanna grab it? Go ahead and apply for it!
MLH Fellowship

Speaker at Google DevFest, Kolkata

Growth through collaboration and contributing to open source helped me in getting selected as a speaker at Google DevFest, Kolkata. This was the first in-person event I attended and I was also a speaker there. The best part was that it was in the city of Joy Kolkata. The vibes and enthusiasm at the Taal Kutir were phenomenal.

DevFest is a global, decentralized tech conference hosted by the Google Developer Groups (GDG) community. Here, I gave a talk on how and why to contribute to open source.

I got the opportunity to network with the amazing speakers at the event and learnt a lot about different technologies from them. The attendees were also full of enthusiasm and it was great to meet with them. I made some amazing friends at the event and also joined a lot of communities who were sponsors at the event. The event also got featured in national media!

Open Source Cohort #3 mentee at Codess Cafe

Codess Cafe is a vibrant community of high-achieving, growth-oriented women in tech. Joining this community as a mentee allowed me to network with a group of aspiring software developers. We were assigned mentors to help up with our doubts. Whenever an opportunity comes up it is shared in the group. Hence we don't regret that we missed any opportunity due to a lack of awareness. We also have sessions and mentors to guide us through the selection process. We also collaborate for participating in Hackathons and other programs. We all collaborate and help each other in achieving goals.

Collegiate Leadership Institute (CLI) Program by The Society of Women Engineers

I followed SWE's page on LinkedIn and that's where they shared about this opportunity. They also shared about it in their newsletter. This is why it is so important to subscribe to the community newsletter. It helps in getting to know about the various opportunities at the correct time and applying for it.

This program allowed me to join a global community of women engineers. The program is meant to equip the participants with skills, knowledge and leadership abilities to become global leaders in engineering careers. Thus joining communities and collaborating can be life-changing.

As a part of the program, I also got a chance to attend the Women Engineers Conference. It also had a career fair. I got a chance to grow my network and skills.

Technical Coach for the Apprenticeship Pathway Program at AnitaB.org

I got to know about this opportunity also through their newsletter and applied for it through email.

As a Technical Coach, I collaborate with learners to complete their unit projects and understand various concepts related to web development. In the process of helping the participants with troubleshooting, I always learn a lot. One of the skills that I picked up was understanding the code written by someone else. It was also fulfilling to see the participants completing the program and getting an internship opportunity with Intuit.

Member & Contributor at Layer5

This email made my day! I started contributing to Layer5 during Hacktoberfest. After contributing for around 2 months and getting 10 PRs merged I got an invitation to join their GitHub org. While contributing I learnt how to communicate effectively with the maintainers about the progress on PRs and the doubts that I have. I also learnt to have patience and take feedback positively. I learnt how to understand large codebases and improved my technical skills a lot.

Community Manager at CodeIN Community

Recently I also got selected as a community manager for the CodeIN community. Being a part of various communities has always been an enriching experience. I am excited to work with a fabulous student-led team filled with young and talented like-minded folks and also network and connect with wonderful people across the country/globe. I am excited to start working here at CodeIN and acquire skills, learn from the best, and last but not least, get loads of professional experience plus make memories!

Other achievements

I also cracked multiple other opportunities because of my experience of collaborating with various global communities and contributing to open source.

  • Harvard WECode Tech Fellow

  • Harvard WEAmplify Extended Scholar

  • Dan Kohn Student Scholar

  • Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholar in the Women in Open Source category

  • Women in Tech Global Conference 2022 Scholar

How I made my applications stand out

  • Understanding the theme of the conference/scholarship and answering the questions accordingly. Example: If it is Women in tech then I will highlight why I am passionate about women in tech. I also highlighted my volunteering experiences at various women in tech communities

  • Applying for the scholarship in the correct category. I always went through the detailed description of all the categories and then apply according to my experience and interest.

  • Having facts to back up whatever I say

  • Being honest and original about whatever I say. I always tried sharing my story in the answers to describe why I am passionate about a particular area.

Growth on GitHub

Conclusion

It doesn't mean that now I get selected for whatever I apply to. I still face a lot of rejections. But there is a big difference between the start of the year and now. The difference is that now I am not misguided or lost. Open source and volunteering at various communities helped me in getting global exposure and some amazing friends and mentors. I think cracking the first opportunity was difficult when I didn't have anything in my resume. It is not because there is a lack of opportunities. Anyone can contribute to open source, participate in hackathons or volunteer. But it is because at this time I was (and I feel most students are) extremely underconfident and very prone to getting misguided.

Don’t downgrade your dreams just to fit your reality. Upgrade your conviction to match your destiny. Always have a big dream and work hard to achieve it. Stop chasing and wasting time behind small things in life.

  • Open source always helped me in adding credibility. Since I always had facts to back up whatever I say, it helped me stand out in my applications. GitHub is the new digital resume.

  • I always learnt by doing. Whatever I learnt, I applied by contributing to an open-source project or by working on a personal project.

  • I never looked for shortcuts and hence avoided wasting my time.

  • I avoided taking free advice from people with no experience.

  • I applied. I stopped self-rejecting myself and applied for every opportunity that I wanted to be a part of.

  • It was never easy to manage so many things with college and exams. But I never complained. Instead, I found ways to manage my time effectively.

The best achievement for me this year was to see my parents proud when they saw my pictures and videos of speaking at Google Devfest Kolkata. The sacrifices that they do for me always motivates me to keep going. Hope I can do more good things this year that brings a smile on their face. 🥰

This was an awesome start to 2023 😍. Here is a link to the blog:

Growth with collaborations

Wanna grab it too? Go ahead and participate in the blogging challenges:

Hashnode blogging challenge

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