Google Code-In
A brief
Google code-In is a program for pre-Univesity students in the age group 13–17, which introduces them to Open-source.
Students participate and contribute to various organizations which take part in the program. Mentors volunteer to monitor and guide the students throughout the program period.
The program is not just for development but has other tasks including ones from Graphic design, UI/UX design, Content writing, Frontend/Backend Development and others.
My Role
I volunteered as a design mentor in Google Code-In 2020 for Codeuino under Terasalogy Foundation.
I was responsible to help students reach the design goals set by the organization. I validated and helped students re-iterate their designs to get better results.
I looked after tasks including design requirements such as
1) Logos, Posters, Banners, T-shirt designs and others in Graphic design
2) UI screens, improving UX in UI/UX design
Things to share from my Experience
FOR DESIGNERS
The importance of design has begun to grow quickly in open-source. Most of the organizations are now collaborating with designers to develop a better design and have a stronger impact on the open-source community.
How does one start?
Join a community, take up a task, start contributing, involve yourself in meetings and decision making, build relations, volunteer for events and programs, and you are now an open-source designer.
How can you contribute to open-source as a designer?
- Graphic Designer
- UI/UX Designer
- UX Writer
Open-source is a great place for budding designers to showcase their talents and explore their skillset. You get to work with very experienced designers and developers who have been contributing for years.
People here are always open to new designs and ideas.
"Ever wanted to design a rollercoaster in space? You could do that here!!"
Other Perks
- Opportunities to mentor in programs like GCI, GSOC, etc.
- Visit conferences around the globe representing the community.
- Goodies including T-shirts, stickers, badges and a lot more.
FOR STUDENTS
Things work differently in different open-source communities and knowing everything isn’t always possible. Participating in such programs gives you a rich exposure to how things work in those communities.
This program is a great opportunity for folks to learn to contribute to open-source, discover industry standards and work individually under guidance.
I was pretty amazed to see what students were doing at such a young age. They were developing, designing, suggesting and doing things I personally never did when I was a teenager.
Why you should participate in open source programs?
- To learn how to contribute to open-source and eventually become a part of the community.
- Opportunity to work under skilled developers and designers.
- To have a chance at winning the competition and also the big prize money.
- T-shirts, stickers and a lot more goodies.
Mentors guide you around the clock with the simplest of the things and help you complete the tasks you take up.
Final Word
I was fortunate to mentor one of the smartest kids in the world. They were doing amazing things at 15. It was a great experience guiding them through and helping them grow in their journey.
Being a part of the Codeuino team was a pleasure. Everyone in the team had a great part in this delightful journey of Google Code-In 2020. A special thanks to Jaskirat for handling things smoothly and making this successful.
If you would like to contribute to Codeuino, join us on Slack.