In this study, we have explored some of the key metrics when one comes to contribute to open source for the first time 1796 contributors participated in this study.

Key observations:

Contributors who take 6 to 12 months to make their first contribution are more likely to be long term contributors

Contributors who look for easy first time contributions are more likely to be short term contributors with an average contribution time of less than 6 months.

How much time does it take to make your first contribution after thinking about it?

Average time: 6 to 12 months

Note that we have normalized the data set to include only responses where contributions have been driven by self determination rather than any external swag.

How do you choose a topic to contribute to?



Most people look for languages or frameworks, they are familiar with and topics that sound easy.

How long have you been contributing to open source after your first contribution?



It has been observed that people who toke 6 months to 2 years to make their first contribution are more likely to stick to open source for a long time (~ 3 years).