JuliaCon 2025

One of the most common barriers for new contributors is the belief that they need to be experts or know about the core language or technology behind a project. However, this is a misconception that limits the impact that many potential contributors can have. Despite having an amazing community, Julia also faces the same as many contributors might think that they need to be knowledgable in various domains to start contributing. This talk will emphasize that contributing to open source, doesn't necessarily require deep knowledge of the domain or language itself and why every kind of involvement, no matter how small, is valuable in making a community thrive.

Some of the points we will explore:

• Opportunities Beyond Coding: Coding isn't the only way to contribute! Things such as improving documentation, translating content, creating tutorials, organizing events, and engaging with the community can also be invaluable to the project’s growth.

• Real-Life Examples: Some examples of people who began contributing without knowing Julia, and how they found their place within the community. From helping with issues to writing blog posts, they have been able to build connections and gain valuable experience.

• Learning from Other Communities: There are many eco-systems other than Julia. As a maintainer you can also take inspirations from those, on how they manage new contributions, issues, outreach, and much more. We will explore some of the things you can add to your project to make it more beginner friendly and help new contributors have a starting place.

Takeaways:

• A roadmap for getting started as a non-technical contributor in the Julia or any other ecosystem.
• Actionable advice on how you can start contributing today, regardless of your programming experience.
• An overview of the many ways you can engage with the community, from social media and blogs to documentation and educational resources.
• Some helpful tips on how as a maintainer you can make your project more beginner friendly.

The idea behind this talk is to broaden the understanding of what it means to be part of an open-source community and to empower a wider audience to engage in projects, regardless of their level of technical expertise.