Learnings from the first year of the OPNFV internship program Ray Paik (Linux Foundation) Serena Feng (ZTE)

Agenda OPNFV internship program overview (Ray) Motivation for the internship program Comparison with other Open Source project internships Proposing a project, applying for internship, etc. Changes made to the program and further areas for improvement What I learned as a mentor (Serena) Coaching interns that are in different countries/timezones Regular communications Learning from other mentors Scope adjustment

Motivation for the internship program Growing the developer community Introduce OPNFV & open source software to the next generation of developers Help with short-term project teams’ needs

Internship program in OPNFV Traditional elements 12-week program around June – August Students are expected to work full time (40 hours/week) Students work where they live (no need to relocate) and work with a mentor Stipends are paid at checkpoints during the internship (e.g. mid-term/final reviews) Changes made for OPNFV Year around program Option to work part-time (20 hours/week) over 24 weeks

Internship projects (https://wiki. opnfv Projects for documentation, cross-community CI, Pharos, testing, VNF catalog, etc. Stats Completed projects: 10 (4 in 2016 + 6 in 2017) In progress: 4 Openings: 5

Learnings & improvements to the program Benefits of having multiple mentors for projects Have a set quarterly start dates e.g. January 1, April 1, June/July 1, and October 1 At the end of the internship Posting artifacts on the project page “Final grade” from mentors

Areas for improvement/exploration Communication tool/channel among interns Job search help for interns e.g. resumes on the Jobs/Career Board @opnfv.org? Have projects that do not require code development background e.g. help with community building, documentations, user groups, etc.

Considerations in establishing a project Task scopes Difficulty Time budget Desirable skills & experience

3 months vs 6 months How frequent you can budget for mentoring How familiar and difficult to you How frequent you can budget for mentoring Intern’s time arrangement

Coaching methodology They are employees Actually, they are interns Tell them what needs to be done But, NOT tell how to do Actually, they are interns Not let them fight alone Give timely support

Coaching philosophy Mentor to Intern Mentor and Intern Trust, patient and supportive Not overly critical Mentor and Intern Go beyond mentor and intern relationship Intern to Mentor Open to speak with no fear

Coaching philosophy Mentor and Community Intern and Community Learn from others Seek help from community Intern and Community Talk to community directly Mentor not proxy everything

Scope adjustment Mentor’s challenge: estimation not always accurate Project needs: requirements may change Intern’s capability and time schedule

Coaching arrangement Meeting Tools Regular weekly meetings On call for urgent problems Tools text: IRC/email video: hangouts/zoom(40min free)/appear-in timer: https://toggl.com/app/timer

Intern’s feedback Smooth elevating ride Be a real team member Win-Win Smooth elevating ride Be a real team member Work independently Avoiding confuse by not-consensus Extra challenging tasks? Welcome

Get involved! Students: Community at large Get in touch with mentors and apply for internship projects posted at https://wiki.opnfv.org/display/DEV/Intern-projects-page Community at large Create and post new projects Talk to and meet with OPNFV interns! Intern lightning round at the Ideas Nest (Green Tea Room) today at 17:30

Questions?