ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange

The Linux Foundation's Amanda McPherson wrote an interesting blog post about careers in open source. Amanda points to the article in CIO, written by Esther Shindler, called "Open Source as an Easy Answer for Better Developer Visibility (and Career Opportunity)."

In the past year, I've done quite a bit of research about women in IT, specifically open source, and one explanation for the lower participation by women is that they tend to leave the industry as a way to advance their careers. Amanda and Esther both point out that the current demand for open source developers makes this a great time for women to be in IT. Esther says that open source "is as even a playing ground as one could ask for, since every project's membership is self-selected." Esther also points out some of the pitfalls of the open source community, including that it can be rather cliquey, and she suggests ways to get involved, such as Sourceforge.net and ohloh.net.

Esther says that if you think your career is stalled, you should consider open source because "It'll be good for the computing community, good for your sense of personal satisfaction, and good for your career."