I made my first open source contribution today, and it felt triumphant! The challenges! The errors! The long nights searching the internet by candlelight!(Okay maybe not that last part.) Feeling like you’re contributing to something bigger than yourself. To be clear, I only replaced an outdated link with a more current one, but that doesn’t mean that the first step of a long journey is less exciting.

Since deciding that I would learn how to code, I’ve always been enamored with open source software, or more specifically free open source software(there’s a difference – ask Richard Stallman). So when I learned that Operation Code was a FOSS program designed by veterans to help fellow veterans I knew I had to be a part of it. I think that the majority of veterans miss being part of a team working towards a common goal; I know I do. Being able to spend time working on a project like Operation Code makes me feel like I’m able to give back, even if it’s in a small way.