The 50+ First-Timer: It’s never too late for Open Source!

Thinking about contributing to an open source project? Does it seem daunting, or maybe you feel it’s too late to start? You might be surprised to learn how accessible it is—and how quickly you can make an impact.

In this session, I’ll share my journey as a first-time contributor to OpenTelemetry, detailing how I went from no contributions to becoming a project member in just one month. I’ll provide a clear roadmap from initial interest to a successful contribution, giving you actionable tips on finding the right project and tackling those “good first-time issues.” We’ll explore the crucial role of mentorship and sponsorship, especially for individuals from underrepresented groups, and how the supportive OpenTelemetry community can guide you through the process. And other communities will too.

I aim to inspire you—whether you’re from an underrepresented background or believe your chance to contribute has passed—to take the plunge and discover the rewarding world of open source. You’ll leave with actionable insights and the confidence to begin your contribution journey.

1. The 50+ First-Timer
It’s never too late for Open Source!
Imma Valls
Staff Developer Advocate Grafana Labs

2. Thanks ??????

3. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 3
Imma Valls
Staff Developer Advocate
Grafana Labs
About Me

4. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 4
Agenda
1. My Journey 2. My Learnings3. You can contribute too!

5. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 5
My Journey

6. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 6
« From growing Up with 40+
cats and no electricity … »
1974

7. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 7
« … to OpenTelemetry Member
»
2025

8. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 8
« Nun’s boarding school »
1981

9. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 9
« From my hometown
Saturdays coding class… »
1984

10. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 10
« … to Barcelona to get an
engineering degree »
1992

11. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 11
« From insurance/banking…
»
2005

12. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 12
« … to Elastic & Grafana »
2018

13. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 13
« … and on to community
volunteering »
2018

14. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 14
« But, I also want to give
back to Open Source… »
2025

15. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 15
« … from OpenTelemetry the
Kubernetes Operator »
2025

16. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 16
« … to OpenTelemetry
Documentation »
2025

17. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 17
« and found a great
community »
2025
Carol Valencia
Pablo Baeyens
Diana Todea
Vitor Vasconcellos
Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti

18. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 18
« Spanish OpenTelemetry
translations »
https://bit.ly/otel-es-localization
2025

19. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 19
« Becoming an
OpenTelemetry member »
2025

20. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 20
« My Contributor Card »
●https://contribcard.cncf.io
●https://devstats.cluster.fun
2025

21. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 21
I was already
contributing to Open
Source before
OpenTelemetry!

22. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 22
My learnings

23. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 23
Learnings from my first
contribution to OpenTelemetry
Join the right
project / CNCF
SIG for you
Listen to other
contributors,
read the
CONTRIB
Be realistic,
consistent,
gain trust

24. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 24
Learnings from my first
contribution to OpenTelemetry
All sorts of
contributions,
not just code!
Can you work
for a company
supporting
OSS?
Have fun!

25. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 25
You can contribute too!

26. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 26
CNCF - Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Foster the
Open Source
Ecosystem
Promote
Collaboration &
Community
Standardize &
Educate

27. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 27
Cloud Native Today: A Global Community

28. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 28
How can you contribute
Code Contributions
Technical Oversight Committee

●Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs)
●TOC Subprojects
●CLOTributor.dev
●200+ Projects and growing


No-code contributions
Cloud Native Awareness

●Cartografos Working Group
●CNCF.io/blog
●Kubernetes.io/blog
●Cloud Native Glossary
●Project Documentation

29. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 29
Join the Cloud Native Community
SLACK
Community Groups

Cloud Native Slack



Mentoring Programs

30. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 30
Where is help needed?
https://clotributor.dev/

31. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 31
Where is help needed?
https://clotributor.dev/

32. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 32
I need time to
contribute!

33. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 33
Company Collaborations
●https://all.devstats.cncf.io/d/8/dashboards
●https://k8s.devstats.cncf.io/dashboards/f/1002/contributor-statistics
●https://opentelemetry.devstats.cncf.io/d/5/companies-table

34. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 34
Find the OSS project you
??????

35. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 35
Contribute to … Grafana!
https://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md

36. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 36
Takeaways

37. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 37
Points to Take Home
●It is never too late (or too early) to contribute to OSS
●Find a project you are passionate about
●All sorts of contributions, not just code
●Start small, be realistic, and consistent
●Seek companies who support OSS (when possible)
●Don’t wait, start now and have fun!

38. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 38
« Take a minute to think about your
first / next Open Source contribution:
what project and what type of
contribution can you commit to in the
next week or month? »

39. Thanks

https://bit.ly/4qjtNEg