The 50+ First-Timer: My OpenTelemetry Contribution and How Your CNCF Journey Can Also Start Today

Thinking about contributing to a CNCF project? Does it seem daunting, or perhaps you feel it’s too late to start at this stage in your career? You might be surprised to learn that it’s more accessible than you think!

In this session, I’ll share my journey as a first-time contributor to OpenTelemetry, providing a roadmap from initial interest to a successful contribution. You’ll gain practical tips on finding the right project and those good first-time issues. We’ll explore the crucial role of mentorship, especially for individuals from underrepresented groups, and how the supportive OpenTelemetry community can guide you through the process.

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 own contribution journey.

1. The 50+ First-Timer
My OpenTelemetry Contribution and
How Your CNCF Journey Can Also Start Today
Imma Valls
Staff Developer Advocate Grafana Labs

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

3. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 3
My Journey

4. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 4
« From growing Up with 40+
cats and no electricity … »
1974

5. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 5
« … to OpenTelemetry Member
»
2025

6. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 6
« Nun’s boarding school »
1981

7. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 7
« From my hometown
Saturdays coding class… »
1984

8. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 8
« … to Barcelona to get an
engineering degree »
1992

9. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 9
« From insurance/banking…
»
2005

10. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 10
« … to Elastic & Grafana »
2018

11. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 11
« … and on to community
volunteering »
2018

12. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 12
« But, I also want to give
back to Open Source… »
2025

13. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 13
« From the OpenTelemetry
Kubernetes Operator… »
2025

14. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 14
« … to OpenTelemetry
Documentation »
2025

15. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 15
« and found a great
community »
2025
Carol Valencia
Pablo Baeyens
Diana Todea
Vitor Vasconcellos
Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti

16. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 16
« Spanish OpenTelemetry
translations »
https://bit.ly/otel-es-localization
2025

17. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 17
« Becoming an
OpenTelemetry member »
2025

18. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 18
I was already
contributing to Open
Source before
OpenTelemetry!

19. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 19
My learnings

20. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 20
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

21. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 21
Learnings from my first
contribution to OpenTelemetry
All sorts of
contributions,
not just code!
Can you work
for a company
supporting
OSS?
Have fun!

22. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 22
You can contribute too!

23. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 23
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

24. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 24
Join the Cloud Native Community
SLACK
Community Groups

Cloud Native Slack



Mentoring Programs

25. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 25
Where is help needed?
https://clotributor.dev/
good_first_time_issue

26. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 26
Open Source opportunity - Hacktoberfest
https://hacktoberfest.com/

27. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 27
Takeaways

28. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 28
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!

29. © 2025 Cloud Native Computing Foundation 29
« 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? »

30. Thanks