With the increased popularity of open source development, the number of programmers and developers contributing to various open source projects is increasing day by day. If you take a look at the open source project hosting services you can surely see an upward trend here. A few years ago we seemed to have only one open source project hosting service, SourceForge. However today there are several such places with thousands of projects hosted and many of them are backed by big corporate interests. (Even Microsoft has its own open source project hosting website - CodePlex.)
The increased interest in open source has been driving a large number of developers to contribute to open source projects. Contributing to an open source project has always been seen as a hobbyist’s job - someone who codes just for fun and doesn’t mind giving away his work for free. So, is it still just that or has the scenario changed a bit? What does open source have in store for someone who has been contributing to open source projects and expects it to help in building his career? Does participating in open source projects give you that much needed exposure to give your career a start or a boost?
There’s no straightforward answer to this seemingly simple question. The answer depends on who you are, what projects you are participating in, and where you see it taking you. If you are already well established in an IT career, a participation in open source can help you learn new things and gain a little exposure, but it would hardly help you in furthering your career. If you are a fresh graduate tired of job listings asking for years of experience or want to acquire some new skills or add a little extra to your resume, open source can definitely help you. However, it is important to note that the number of companies that recognize these open sources projects as "real" experience is few and most of them treat these projects as side work unless you have worked in something really ground breaking. Nevertheless, there are several companies which offer open source opportunities to students without any experience. Many of them can help you get a real job.
The project that you participate in matters, too. Contributing to an open source project with a common theme that thousands of other contributors have already done or are doing would not get you anywhere. However, if you can get your hands on a big project with a unique theme it may get you your next dream job. Participating in high profile open source events like the Google Summer of Code is a sure way to get exposure as it is an opportunity to meet hundreds of other developers from around the world and also various employers who back the idea of open source.
The scene is quite different if you are a freelancer. Open source projects that you are involved in gets you that extra in your portfolio. However how much of it translates into actual exposure which gets you more work is a tough question to answer. If your project manages to become popular then you would definitely get some exposure to new jobs, but an average project won’t take you anywhere.
When all is said and done, open source projects are a great way to learn and show your talent to the world, provided that you choose the right projects. Though opinion is divided about the exposure it gives you regarding your career, with the increased acceptability of open source projects as real experience among employers the scene is slowly changing and offers a positive picture for the future.