For sure — OSS on a resume hits different, shows you actually worked on real code with real teams. Way better than just listing “C++ basics” or whatever. And honestly, even small projects you’ve hacked together look solid if you can talk about what you built and what you learned. Pair that with some guidance and you’ve basically got a mini-portfolio that stands ou

100%, open source is like a crash course you can’t get in class. Real code, real people reviewing your stuff, you pick up good habits fast. The only tricky part is knowing where/how to jump in — most repos look intimidating as hell when you’re new.

That’s why I feel like having projects you can start smaller with, break apart, and get some feedback on would be such a smoother ramp. Once you build that confidence, contributing to big OSS projects doesn’t feel so scary.

True, if you survived 3 years without failing out, you’re not as hopeless as you think 😂. And yeah, GitHub is stacked with projects — problem is, it’s kinda overwhelming when you don’t know where to even start or what’s worth digging into.

That’s why I keep thinking how useful it’d be if there was a space where stuff was a bit more structured — like projects you can actually pick up, tear down, get some guidance on, and then later flip into your own. Way less random than drowning in a million repos.

Lol true, low expectations are kinda a blessing — nobody’s waiting for you to be a genius on day one. But yeah, the “read some old tickets and figure it out” training style is rough. You end up wasting time guessing what matters.

Way better when you’ve got someone to point you straight or at least a solid project to mess with. Hands-on + a bit of guidance always beats digging through dusty docs alone.

100%. The ones who’ve actually been in the trenches and tinkered their way up make the best mentors. They cut the fluff and show you the real stuff that matters. That kinda guidance + just diving into projects is literally what helps folks like us go from “clueless” to “okay I got this.

Haha respect 👊 that’s the real deal — no college but still mentoring grads shows how little the paper matters compared to hands-on. Books say ROS2, real world says “yo, here’s modbus, break it till it clicks.”

That’s honestly the kind of guidance most freshers need — someone who can cut through the noise and say “this is what actually matters, go tinker.” Makes me think if more of us had that kinda space + mentorship earlier, we wouldn’t waste years stuck in theory.

Yeah, that’s real. Half the time we forget we actually picked up more than we think — even if it’s just knowing how to structure problems or think a certain way. That stuff does carry over.

And true, no one expects a fresher to roll in like a senior dev. What matters is showing you can learn fast once you’re in the game. That’s why I keep coming back to projects — building stuff, even small hacks, forces you to learn by doing. And if you can get a little feedback along the way, you level up way quicker. That combo of “mindset from uni + learn-by-building” feels like the real win.

Haha yeah, that hits. School’s mostly just endurance training — sit through boring crap, collect the paper, prove you can stick it out. Doesn’t really mean you walk out job-ready. And you’re right, nobody actually knows anything straight out of school, the real test is how fast you can pick stuff up once you’re tossed into the fire.

That’s why I feel like the smartest move now is just to start building/rewiring your brain through actual projects. Even small ones. Tear something apart, rebuild it, mess with it till it makes sense. Pair that with a bit of guidance from people already in the grind and boom — suddenly you look less like a clueless fresher and more like someone who can adapt fast. And that’s honestly all most companies are looking for anyway.

Facts. Diploma’s just a piece of paper, man. What really counts is the stuff you actually make. Writing, building, whatever — as long as it’s useful and not just textbook bs. Half the time we get stuck solving fake problems no one cares about, instead of creating something we’d actually use ourselves.

Even if it’s messy at first, just grab some project, tear it apart, mess with it, make it your own. That’s where the real learning happens. Guidance helps, sure, but end of the day it’s just you building stuff you vibe with. That’s what actually sticks

Yeah, true — programming isn’t really something you can fake, especially in a competitive market. If the fundamentals are weak, it shows during interviews. And you’re right, a lot of people with decent knowledge still struggle to land jobs these days, so for someone who coasted through college it feels extra overwhelming.

That said, I don’t think it always has to mean a hard pivot away from tech. I’ve seen people catch up when they start small: buying or downloading existing projects, breaking them apart to see how things actually work, then slowly tweaking/building their own. Pair that with mentorship or guidance from people in the industry, and it creates a shortcut compared to trying to figure out everything alone. Even if it doesn’t guarantee a job, it at least gives you a portfolio and confidence to back yourself.

For those who decide to pivot — HR, ops, etc. like you said — fair enough. But I feel like having an option in between (learn + build + guidance in one place) could really help students who don’t want to give up on tech completely.

Yeah that’s actually reassuring to hear 🙏. I keep hearing people say the real learning happens once you’re on the job, but the scary part is getting that first break. That’s why I was thinking — if there was a space where you could practice by picking up real projects (even buying ready-made ones just to see how things are structured), get some guidance/mentorship, and then slowly start putting out your own work… it would make the jump way less intimidating. Feels like that kind of model could really help students like me who are starting late.