Open source alternative to training (was: Re: When TomEE will support µProfile 4.x and 5.x ?)

[David Blevins <da...@gmail.com>]

> On Mar 15, 2022, at 2:06 PM, David Blevins <da...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I know people feel their time wouldn't make a difference, but when you have 5 or 6 people doing it at the same time, it makes all the difference.
> 
> I encourage everyone reading to consider contributing time to his project you love and rely upon.  I know it seems intimidating, but you won't be alone and will be learning from industry experts.  It's not just good for the project, but it's amazing for you and a secret weapon to becoming an industry expert yourself.  All great endings start with humble beginnings.  Just one foot forward starts the journey.

I'll add a practical idea for those out there who manage a team and have training budgets.

Keep your money and instead of sending your people to training for a week, send them instead to work for a week on an open source project you rely upon.  They will learn from the people who create the technologies you use.  Moreover, anything they produce you can actually use in production when you download the next version. Those of us who have ever sent a team to training know there are two costs; the cost paid for the training and the opportunity cost of having your team not working for a week.  In the best case scenario of this idea, both costs are eliminated.  You get a more adept team with no training cost and ideally code you can use in production.

Now open source is a global affair and that means lag between asking questions and getting answers, so rather than one dedicated week I recommend splitting it up. One day a week over a one month period is great.  I recommend that day be Friday so that if the person really gets into it, they can keep hacking over the weekend and stay in the groove.

Unlike training, the learning does not need to stop after that week.  The instructors to not go away and the material does not end.  The open source project and everyone they get to know will still be there.  The learning can continue in their spare time, even increase, if they chose to stay active.

A final recommendation to make this stick.  Use the money you would have spent on training to offer a bonus to any of your developers do who remain active after the one-month period where they got company time.  The bonus could even be adjusted based on how active: say 100% if active all year; 50% if active for six months after.

I can honestly say that contributing to open source has been the secret weapon to my career.  I'm fortunate enough to have been introduced to it when I was 23 and all the best things I've learned have come from working along side amazing contributors around the world.  People who volunteer their time to open source are naturally motivated to not waste time and get things done.  They want results.  Engaging with others teaches them to be team players.  Working with people all over the world, in different time zones and with different levels of English, teaches them to get good at communicating over text, not relying on meetings, being patient with each other's ability to communicate, and being a clear communicators themselves.

This is how you pull competency into your team or organization without having to hire a mega superstar at an insane price.

If you were to enact this open-source-alternative-to-training program the people who opt-in and stay active will naturally be the people who rise up through the ranks the fastest.  The fact that there are so few employers doing what you do, will make them easier to retain.

This secret weapon can be your secret weapon.

Consider doing this in your team.  Consider bring this idea to your team lead.


-David