Selection at FOSS Overflow 🚀 (Week 0)
Introduction
FOSS Overflow is an open-source program where developers collaborate to build innovative projects using free and open-source software. It is conducted every year by Openlake IIT Bhilai. It provides a platform for participants to contribute to real-world projects under the guidance of experienced mentors, enhance their coding skills, and engage with the open-source community.
Getting selected for this esteemed program was a rewarding experience. In this blog, I’ll take you through my journey — from drafting my very first proposal to receiving the selection email — while sharing valuable lessons and insights.
My Project Choices for FOSS Overflow
When applying for FOSS Overflow, I carefully selected two projects that aligned with my skills and interests — CoSA Student Database and CCPS Portal.
CoSA (Council of Student Affairs) Student Database focused on managing student records, including club memberships and positions of responsibility. I was drawn to its need for secure authentication, UI/UX improvements, and efficient data handling.
CCPS (Centre for Career Planning and Services) Portal, a job portal for a college aimed to streamline job searching and application management. Its impact on career opportunities and the need for a scalable, user-friendly system made it a strong fit for me.
Why These Two Projects?
First and foremost the tech stack for both the projects was MERN stack, which I am very well versed with. Additionally, both projects focused on structured data management, intuitive user interfaces, and secure authentication, areas I have considerable experience with.
The Selection
I was ultimately selected for the CCPS Portal, where I aim on enhancing user experience, refining job listings, and optimizing backend performance.
My First Proposal
Since this was my first time drafting a project proposal, I wanted to ensure that it aligned well with the project’s vision and addressed key problem areas effectively.
To refine my proposal, I reached out to the mentors for feedback. Their insights helped me identify gaps in my initial draft, such as the need for clearer and better-defined feature sets. Based on their suggestions, I made several revisions — adding graphs to visually represent user workflows, refining the scope to ensure feasibility, and structuring the document to improve clarity.
Balancing technical details with readability was a challenge, but through multiple iterations and discussions, I improved my approach to writing structured proposals. The process not only strengthened my ability to communicate project ideas but also deepened my understanding of open-source collaboration and feedback-driven development.
Conclusion
I am excited to start contributing, make my first pull request, and actively work on bringing the project to life. Beyond the technical learning, I look forward to building lasting connections with mentors and fellow mentees, collaborating, and growing together in this open-source journey.