Hey there! 👋 I’m Abe, and I just joined Djangonaut Space - a program designed to help developers like me contribute to Django. This is my first post documenting this journey, and honestly, I’m both excited and a bit nervous about what’s ahead.
Meeting the Crew
We kicked off with an intro call this week, and wow - what an amazing group of people! Got to meet my fellow Djangonauts (still getting used to that term 😄) and our program leaders. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and experience levels, but we all share that same enthusiasm for Django.
After the call, I synced up with my Navigator to set our weekly meeting time. Having a dedicated mentor through this journey is going to be incredibly helpful.
#DjangonautSpace Session 4 has launched on Feb 17, 2025, and we’re excited to explore the galaxies of #Django over the next 8 weeks. 💜🚀
— Djangonaut Space (@djangonautspace) February 18, 2025
Here’s a snapshot from the #Djangonauts onboarding. Keep an eye on our socials for mission updates—our crew is all set to contribute! 🌌 pic.twitter.com/YnzC3lcOjH
First Steps
Setting up has been pretty straightforward:
- Joined the Discord server (the community seems super welcoming!)
- Set up my development environment
- Started eyeing my first potential ticket #27775
Why I’m Here
I’ve been using Django for a while, but contributing to such a major project? That’s a whole different game. Two things really drew me to this program:
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Learning to Write Better Tests: Working solo, I’ll admit my testing game isn’t as strong as it could be. What better way to level up than by contributing to a project where testing is crucial?
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Real Collaboration: There’s something exciting about working with others on code that thousands of developers will use.
A Mix of Excitement and Uncertainty
You know that feeling when you’re starting something new? Yeah, that’s where I’m at. My biggest concern? Working on a PR only for it to not get merged. But hey, that’s part of the learning process, right?
What Caught My Eye
I’ve been looking at ticket #27775. What’s interesting is that there are already two closed PRs related to it. This actually feels perfect for a beginner like me - I can learn from what others have tried before. It’s like having a map of the territory, even if I might take a different path.
Making It Official
I decided to share the news about joining Djangonaut Space across my social channels. The support and encouragement from the tech community has been amazing!
I'm super proud to share that I'm joining the 4th cohort of @djangonautspace Space as a djangonaut on Team Venus! 🚀
— Abe Hanoka (@abe__101) February 12, 2025
Looking forward to making open source contributions to the @djangoproject project.💻
You can also find my announcements on Bluesky and Fosstodon. It’s exciting to see how many people are interested in open source contribution!
Looking Ahead
No rigid plans here - I want to stay flexible and open to whatever comes my way. But I am hoping to:
- Get more comfortable with Django’s testing practices
- Make at least one meaningful contribution
- Learn from the feedback process
This post is part of my journey through Djangonaut Space, a program helping developers contribute to Django. Follow along as I navigate through this adventure!