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Drupal is one of the largest and most successful open source projects, and much of our success is due to the vibrant and thriving community of contributors who make the platform what it is – the individuals who help put on Drupal Conferences and events, the documentation writers, the designers and usability experts, the developers who help write the software, and countless others.

Participating in open source communities is a rewarding experience that will help you advance and develop, both personally and professionally. Through participation, you gain an opportunity to learn from your peers. You are constantly challenged and exposed to new and interesting ideas, perspectives, and opinions. You are not only learning the current best practices, you are also helping develop innovative new solutions, which will improve the tools in your arsenal and take your career to the next level – not to mention contributing to your personal growth. (One of the five Drupal core committers for Drupal 8, Angie Byron got her start only a few years ago – as a student in the Google Summer of Code – and has rapidly advanced her skills and career through open source participation.)

Participation gives you significantly better insight and awareness. By attending Drupal events and engaging online, you place yourself in a better position to understand and leverage the solutions that are already available, know where and how to find those solutions, and have a clearer sense of how you can leverage them to achieve your goals. With this knowledge and experience you become capable of executing faster and more efficiently than your peers who don’t engage.