This is a submission for the 2024 Hacktoberfest Writing challenge: Contributor Experience

Hacktoberfest 2024 was, for me, a mix of frustration and growth. Last year? I signed up but didn’t submit a single pull request. Why did I register? Honestly, I had no idea. Fast-forward to this year, and I was determined to dive in and make it count.

Since I was already registered, I didn’t think much about signing up again. I went straight to submitting pull requests. I made contributions, assuming everything was on track until I saw others sharing their Hacktoberfest status, showing off their badges and “accepted” PRs. I had initially thought it would be sent via email

Naturally, I wanted to check mine too. Tried logging in, and hit an error. Tried again, same issue. Switched to incognito mode, signed in through GitHub, and hit the same dead end. Frustrated, I reached out via email, only to get an automated response. I even turned to Discord, hoping for a fix, but found no solution. At that point, I could’ve given up on Hacktoberfest entirely.

But I kept going. Forget the badge—I focused on the work. I continued submitting PRs, and this is where Hacktoberfest took on a new meaning for me. Each PR came back with feedback. Contributors didn’t hold back—they pointed out issues, shared suggestions, and gave real direction. Instead of a simple “accepted” or “rejected,” I received guidance that genuinely shaped my skills.

Hacktoberfest 2024 wasn’t what I expected. But by focusing on the contributions, not the badge, I walked away with skills I wouldn’t have gained otherwise. And that, in the end, made all the frustration worth it.

You can check me out on GitHub here: Bridget Amana