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by p_nathan 5636 days ago
Back when I finished my undergrad in '06, the general perspective I ran into was, "oh, you didn't do open source. shame. don't call us back".

I spent my time trying to do well in school, not contribute unpaid work to open source.
2 comments
wladimir 5635 days ago
Most of what you learn in school is abstract and you'll never need in practice. What you learn in (collaborative) open source development, in the other hand, is mighty useful actual programming experience. Doing well in school helps, but having a portfolio of side-projects to show makes (in my experience, at least) more of an impression on employers.
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rue 5636 days ago
Some people enjoy programming enough to do it unpaid (and get some valuable lessons in how software is actually made at the same time, if lucky).
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