It has been two weeks since my Djangonaut Space adventure started—time for an update.
Two out of eight weeks done, and it's been a ride so far: two PRs, one merged, one open, one tutorial blog article, an unexpected rabbit hole I'm still digging through, and travel woes.
Notable activities
Let me put the previous paragraph in more detail:
- My first PR (#17774) got merged: Fixed #35115 -- Made admin's footer render in <footer> tag.;
- My second PR (#17787) is in the works: Fixed #35143 -- Accessibility improvements to debug error pages.;
- I wrote a tutorial article on running Django locally: A simple approach to running Django Core locally;
- I am looking into GPG keys, which turned out to be a rabbit hole. Yubikeys and a blog post might happen in the future;
- I tried to go to the Django Cologne meetup, but the forces of the Dutch and German railway companies conspired against me. 😒
Experience so far
The Djangonaut Space program is impressive, and the community agrees: the program received the Malcolm Tredinnick Memorial Award.
You have access to a group of navigators, captains, and organizers who are each experienced contributors in their own right. Some are even Django Software Foundation (DSF) members!
How often do you get mentored by such a stellar group of people?
I also like that the Djangonauts are spread worldwide: you don't just run into the "usual crowd" of US or EU developers. Ironically, several of us defaulted to the small-talk classic of discussing the local weather.
As far as other talk goes, I haven't had much interaction with the other teams (yet), but it's good to have a dedicated team space where you can share updates. Weekly video calls and our Discord channel help us keep in touch.
I've found PR reviews daunting so far, in one part, because you quickly realize that there is a lot you don't know. It took me back to feeling when I wasn't a senior in a company calling the shots in a particular project.
Each change will eventually be used by all projects upgrading to your version of Django, and they have to be perfect; therefore, reviews have to be strict. It's all part of the process, and you must trust it.
To close off, I also like how this program and working with someone from the accessibility team allowed me to return to my first love: HTML and CSS.
Wrap-up
I have no regrets about signing up for the Djangonaut Space program. On the contrary, I do not doubt that the future will bring me back to return the favor in one way or another.
If you are considering signing up in the future, go for it!
Bring space puns and rocket fuel. 🚀