Sharing your experience shapes Joomla’s future. You can guide the next generation of Joomla talent. Joomla will grow from it, and you too. 

Talent pool

For many years Joomla has joined the Google Summer of Code (GSoC). In total we did more than 50 projects, and much of that has been incorporated in our codebase. Every year many new, enthusiastic and motivated university students and other developers are submitting a proposal for a project. This year we received a record of  about 200 proposals, from which we chose four we were granted a slot for.

Every year almost 200 open source organisations are  admitted by Google, to mentor about 1200 projects in total. Because it is not sure beforehand if Joomla will be admitted as a mentoring organisation, nor how many projects are awarded to us, the Joomla Academy was founded. It started this year with two projects. The students who applied for the Academy came from the same pool of people who applied for a GSoC project.

These new talents are important for the future of Joomla’s development. So we must cherish them, take good care of them. And this is where mentors play an important role.

Let me take you by the hand

For most GSoC applicants Joomla and its programming environment are completely unknown. They have to find their way in how we do things, where to find everything, and who is who. It can be quite overwhelming to newcomers.

About six years ago I explored working with another open source project (Jetbrains MPS, to create domain specific languages). A great tool… but a very steep learning curve, even though I have a strong theoretical background. Something pretty amazing happened: someone in that community spontaneously offered to be my mentor (without asking anything in return). For a year we regularly met online, I showed him what I had done and asked questions. He showed me all the tricks and tips he gathered in his years of experience. I was so superglad to have his help! Without that I’d still be wandering the labyrinth.  

Not a hero

New contributors don’t need perfection; they need a guide. Someone who shows them around. Someone who is not completely new in the community and knows who might help. Sometimes only offering a listening ear.

Not a hero.
Not a core architect.
Just someone who says: “Let me share what I’ve learned.”

As a mentor you don’t have to know everything. This year in our GSoC project, for instance, the contributor had some questions about testing. So, we asked someone more specialised  in the subject to join us in a meeting. We all learned from it, both the contributor and the mentors. I heard other teams in GSoC and Academy had similar experiences. And it is not only coding skills that grow, but also the feeling of a community, of doing this together. It shows the power of sharing.

You learn just as much

The funny thing about mentoring is that it’s never a one-way street. You are on an adventure together, as a team. And you learn a lot too.

You learn to explain things more clearly.
You rediscover parts of Joomla you haven’t touched in years.
You start seeing problems from fresh eyes again.
You meet other people in the community that can help with your project.
You grow as a communicator, planner, and leader.

Sharing knowledge doesn’t diminish your own, but multiplies it.

Smart hiring

If you run a Joomla-based agency or build extensions professionally, mentoring isn’t just “giving back”.

It’s smart.

Mentoring introduces you to motivated, talented newcomers who after the summer:

• Already know Joomla and you.
• Already care about open source.
• Already have shown dedication to long-term projects.
• Already worked under guidance, deadlines, and structure.

In other words:

• Potential interns.
• Potential employees.
• Potential collaborators.

And you get to know them before hiring them; in real projects, real code, real communication.

Sharing your expertise becomes an investment in your future team.

The joy of watching someone grow

It is very nice to see the growth from the first insecure steps in the Joomla community to contributing something new and useful. Together with your student you celebrate the magic of the first official pull request. And you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised and amazed by what GSoC and Joomla Academy participants produce. I for sure was.

Mentoring is not just about code.
It’s about growth, connection, belonging, and continuity.

It strengthens the Joomla community.
It strengthens you.

You can be a mentor!

You found your way in Joomla; know the power of the tools and the community.

Now you can give that gift to someone else.

Share your experience.
Share your knowledge.
Share the joy of Joomla.

Become a mentor.
Help the next generation step into the community you love.
Help Joomla grow, and grow with it.