Hacktoberfest 2023: Celebrating the Last Days- My Rewards and Your Opportunity to Shine
Tags: hack23contributor, hacktoberfest, opensource, webdev
Published: 2023-10-29 17:44:07

As we approach the final week of Hacktoberfest 2023, the open-source community is buzzing with excitement. This past month has seen incredible contributions, collaborations, and a shared commitment to sustainability. In this article, I'm thrilled to share my own success story, hoping to inspire you to embark on your Hacktoberfest journey if you haven't already. Remember, the rewards and impact extend far beyond the code you contribute.

[GitHub](https://github.com/abhixsh)

## Intro
Hello, I'm Abishek Haththakage, a DevOps enthusiastic undergraduate student with a strong passion for computer science. My tech journey began in my childhood and has been an exhilarating ride ever since. In this blog, I'll take you through my experiences, challenges, and growth during my participation in Hacktoberfest, an event that profoundly impacted me.

###Hacktoberfest: My First Taste of Open Source

In the midst of my programming adventures, I stumbled upon Hacktoberfest, an annual event that celebrates open-source contributions. I decided to take the plunge and participate. Little did I know that this would be a turning point in my journey.

### Highs and Lows: My Hacktoberfest Experience

[![An image of @abhixsh's Holopin badges, which is a link to view their full Holopin profile](https://holopin.me/abhixsh)](https://holopin.io/@abhixsh)

Participating in Hacktoberfest was an exhilarating experience. I embarked on my open-source journey, ready to make a meaningful contribution to the tech community. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. I encountered several challenges, such as:

**Getting Started with New Projects:** The process of getting started with new open-source projects can be overwhelming. Navigating through the codebase, understanding the project's goals, and identifying issues to work on was initially daunting.

**Working Processes:** Each open-source project has its own set of working processes and guidelines. Adapting to these processes and ensuring that my contributions adhered to their standards required time and effort.

**Overcoming Challenges: A Steep Learning Curve**

Despite the initial hurdles, I was determined to overcome these challenges. With perseverance and a proactive approach, I started making progress. I sought guidance from experienced contributors and tapped into the collective wisdom of the open-source community. It was heartening to see the supportive and collaborative nature of this community.

By the end of Hacktoberfest, I had successfully made Eight contributions. These contributions ranged from bug fixes to new feature implementations, and each one was a valuable learning experience. I had come a long way from where I started, and the journey was far from over.

**My Tree-Planting Reward:** A Symbol of Environmental Responsibility
This year, Hacktoberfest made a bold move toward sustainability by replacing the beloved t-shirt rewards with digital reward kits. But it didn't end there. In the spirit of environmental responsibility, Hacktoberfest initiated a tree-planting program. Each time I completed my first pull/merge request, a tree was planted as part of the Usambara Biodiversity Conservation project in Tanzania. It's a tangible way for the tech community to give back to the environment and contribute to reforesting our planet.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1zdr4zy8nqc8za57n7y6.png)


## Growth and Future Endeavors
Participating in Hacktoberfest opened my eyes to the incredible world of open source. I gained a profound understanding of how GitHub works, the importance of version control, and the significance of collaboration in building innovative solutions. I also developed skills in effective communication, problem-solving, and project management.

My experiences during Hacktoberfest have inspired me to continue contributing to open-source projects. I'm excited to dive deeper into the open-source world, explore new technologies, and collaborate with fellow tech enthusiasts.

Repos Beginners can contribute :

[Hacktoberfest](https://github.com/shivaylamba/Hacktoberfest)
[Hacktoberfest2021](https://github.com/Sangwan5688/Hacktoberfest2021)
[HacktoberFest](https://github.com/tarunsinghofficial/HacktoberFest)
[Hacktoberfest](https://github.com/ossamamehmood/Hacktoberfest)

**Okay, that’s it for this article.**
Also, if you have any questions about this or anything else, please feel free to let me know in a comment below or on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/_abhixsh/) , [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/abhi.haththakage/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/abhixsh).

Thank you for reading this article, and see you soon in the next one! ❤️