I know of a few people who will be graduating this year or who are currently looking for new software development jobs. Most of them are trying to find jobs that will allow them to continue contributing to open source projects during normal work hours. When I asked why this is such an important factor in the offer they accept I was told more than once that belonging to well-known open source communities really strengthens a developer’s resume, helps them build a strong global network and allows them to continually improve their development and (more importantly) leadership skills.
If the top-talent is looking for jobs that involve open source development, are the hiring companies delivering? To be honest I don’t know the answer but I can say that there are a lot more companies contributing to open source than in the past. If there is truly a demand by employees to contribute to open source projects, this could lead to a real explosion of corporate-championed open source.
What are your observations on the subject?
