Age Limit

[Michele Degges]

Is there a way to get involved in the 2011 gsoc? I'll be 18 in
September 2011 and will have completed my first semester of CS at a
university. This seems like a great way to get involved in open source
projects and I'd really like to be apart of it. :)

[Dirk Haun]

On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 5:16 AM, Michele Degges <mrde...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Is there a way to get involved in the 2011 gsoc? I'll be 18 in
> September 2011

Assuming there will be a GSoC 2011 (Google hasn't announced it yet),
you will have to be 18 at some cutoff date at the beginning of the
program. So unless they change that rule, you probably won't be able
to participate as a student.

Alternatives: Have a look a Google Code-in, a program for those not 18
yet. It starts next Monday :)

http://code.google.com/opensource/gci/2010-11/index.html

[Aaron S. Meurer]

The cutoff date will not be changed. It exists because there are legal difficulties with employing minors in the United States that Google does not want to deal with.

I don't know if the Google Code-In is open to college students under 18 (you should read the FAQ), but if it is, you should try, as Dirk suggested. Then, go ahead and try for Google Summer of Code the following summer (2012), when you are 18.

Of course, you can still become involved in open source before then. Actually, doing so will dramatically increase your chances of being accepted, because the mentoring organizations will be able see how dedicated you are.

Aaron Meurer

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[Michele Degges]

Thanks for the ideas. In the FAQ it says that the age limit is 18, so I'll have to sit this year out. But since I'm new to programming, I think it will be good to work on some open source projects on my own time before applying for gsoc.. That way I'll definitely be prepared for next year!