JIIT
Level up your open‑source journey with a practical, friendly walkthrough of Google Summer of Code and the wider OSS ecosystem of conferences, communities, and mentor‑led projects.
Google Summer of Code is a global, online mentorship program that helps new contributors work on real projects with experienced mentors over a multi‑month timeline.
Alongside GSoC, the session highlights major open‑source event ecosystems so you know where to learn, network, and showcase work throughout the year.
New contributors who want a clear starting line and a supportive plan.
Intermediate devs and writers who want to level up via structured mentorship and public impact.
Designers, PMs, community builders, and doc writers—because OSS is more than code.
What Google Summer of Code is and how the program works.
Why GSoC matters: build experience, enhance coding skills, expand networks, and boost your profile.
Who can participate and how to get started engaging with mentors and organizations.
How to write a strong proposal: define a clear problem, scope, objectives, timeline, and milestones.
Resources and next steps to navigate timelines, meet mentors, and contribute effectively.
Google Summer of Code (GSoC): 12+ weeks of mentored OSS work with a scoped project and evaluations.
Hacktoberfest (October): contribution sprint celebrating meaningful PRs across participating repos - great for first contact and momentum.
Outreachy: paid, remote internships focused on underrepresented groups in tech with strong mentorship culture.
Season of Docs: technical writers collaborate with OSS orgs on docs roadmaps, guides, and tooling.
Linux Foundation Mentorship: cohort‑based mentorships across CNCF, kernel, and ecosystem projects.
MLH Fellowship: project‑based, team‑mentored cohorts shipping real features with partner orgs.
Community seasons: GirlScript Summer of Code (GSSoC), Script Winter of Code (SWoC), Julia Season of Contributions (JSoC), and university‑run “Winter of Code” variants.
