Have you ever wondered what is next after learning the basics of software development, how you can improve your programming skills and gain more experience? These questions trouble a lot of people new to software development. They are not aware that they can leverage open-source projects to build their careers and land their dream job. In this session, I will share how you can leverage open-source projects to improve your skills, the challenges you would likely encounter, and how to overcome them and become a successful software engineer.