Reflections on Google Summer of Code
This was the second year that I have been involved as a mentor for Google's Summer of Code program. And in both cases, I've worked as a mentor for Drupal. Last year, I worked with sivaji on a project involving the Quiz module. This year, I worked with eabrand on QueryPath and the QueryPath module.
In both cases, the projects were highly successful. I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with two very gifted up-and-coming developers.
I think one of the most critical questions to ask of any program like GSOC, is whether or not it produces the results (pedagogical and professional) that it is after. With both Sivaji and Emily, the answer is a resounding yes.
- Since finishing his GSOC project, Sivaji has begun his professional life as a web developer focused on Drupal. Recently, he and his colleagues started E-ndicus, a Drupal-focused software development company in his home town of Chennai.
- Emily is now a software engineer at HP. She continues to contribute to QueryPath, and was just this week featured on Google's blog. Last week, she joined me on the Drupal Dojo QueryPath session, too.
I doubt either of these individuals learned much from me during our GSOC projects. More than anything, it just takes hard work, persistence, and attention to detail to finish a GSOC project. But I've certainly learned a lot from them. And both Quiz and QueryPath have benefited enormously from the work of these two. <!--break-->
