It is safe to assume that contributing patches and updates to the Linux kernel is something beneficial to do — regardless of what you do or where you are in your career. For some, it might just be a diversion from their lives as a full-time software developer. For others, learning how to design and apply patches can even serve as one of the ways to enter the field of computing, even if you are 16 or are as old as 60. You might have spent the past 10 years backpacking around Asia or working as a golf instructor.

In any case, learning how to contribute means you will be furthering the continued expansion of Linux, as well to that common good of the open source community.

During the latest episode of The New Stack Makers podcast hosted by Alex Williams, founder and editor-in-chief of The New Stack recorded during the Open Source Leadership Summit, Shuah Khan, a Linux Fellow, at the The Linux Foundation described what it takes to get starred on your journey as a contributor to the Linux kernel.