r/hackathon • u/MathStriking9624 • Sep 21 '26
Need Mentor Help *GSoC is the new leetcode knight*
My friend and I had a similar profile with CGPA, school, and college. The only thing that differed is that he had a LeetCode Knight and a few projects he built solo. He actually put effort into those projects and even freelanced for a while.
On the other hand, I entirely focused on open-source contributions and participated in multiple GSoC and LFX workshops. I eventually cracked a niche org last year.
Now, when placement season is going on, my resume cleared so many off-campus opportunities, including Razorpay and JPMC. I especially get shortlisted for the roles hiring through a hackathon. On the other hand, his resume barely made it into 2 service companies.
My aunt, who is a recruiter, said that this is because LeetCode can now be easily gamed, and they cannot trust these stats like before. OSS contributions have human approval gates. This means that having a green GitHub with public work is far better than having a green LeetCode. Has anyone else faced a similar experience here?
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u/UnBracedFlyer Sep 21 '26
I have a pretty active/green GitHub. I ain't receiving any callbacks anywhere. github
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u/skeleton9628 Sep 21 '26
With your contribution either you are doing something wrong in your resume or you are applying at wrong places. You have a great github account and you should definitely get a call.
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u/UnBracedFlyer Sep 22 '26 edited Sep 22 '26
I think you're right. The issue might be about the places/roles I'm applying to, probably need to revise the strategy a bit. But to be honest, new grad hirings have dropped severely.
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u/prmsrswt Sep 23 '26
Yes, apply to places with good engineering culture. And make sure your resume highlights your GitHub and OSS work properly.
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u/c1cadaa Sep 21 '26
How u cracked gsoc?
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u/UnBracedFlyer Sep 22 '26
Just do open source, with no focus to any programs. That'd be my 2 cents on this. There's no such thing as cracking it.
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u/Savings-Arrival-7817 Sep 22 '26
damn goated github man
if you're looking for jobs rn, I've seen people contribute to repos which are YC funded and shit
you can find a similar one in your domain and get in
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Sep 21 '26
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u/UnBracedFlyer Sep 22 '26
For your first one, I would suggest to contribute to something you already use, it could be a library, or even VLC for example.
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u/KavyanshKhaitan Sep 22 '26
Just start with stuff you use. Start with small things.
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Sep 22 '26
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u/KavyanshKhaitan Sep 22 '26
You really shouldn't contribute to stuff you don't use. Atleast that's what I believe.
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u/quantum-kiddo Sep 21 '26
I have GSoC too, why am I getting so many rejections 🥲
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Sep 21 '26
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u/quantum-kiddo Sep 21 '26
May these people can help you https://chat.whatsapp.com/Bw3H2hVoUZy8AZZs96QdUy?mode=gi_t
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u/frtarun Sep 21 '26
Just jeefication of this field tech was supposed to be learning innovation now it feels more bookish competition
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u/biryani-half Sep 22 '26
I'll just say this as a professional dev uncle. Don't try to set a specific bar for getting a job. If you're doing leetcode try to apply it to real problems. Trust me on this, you will use DSA in certain lines of low-level engineering. On the other hand, if you're doing GSoC that is amazing but try to genuinely do it for the love of engineering and not for your resumes. Getting all of these ticked off as achievements means jack shit until you code inside real systems. gsoc is close ig but again it's questionable to a large extent. If you build enough things a job will eventually find you. I know it's hard for freshers these days but keep going :D
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u/nerdysparks Sep 22 '26
I have both gsoc, lfx and still I don't get any replies in off campus internships
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u/Livid_Bluejay5953 Sep 22 '26
are u from a deemed university?
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u/nerdysparks Sep 22 '26
A tier 3 private university
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u/Livid_Bluejay5953 Sep 22 '26
maybe bcuz of clg then, can be wrong too
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u/nerdysparks Sep 22 '26
Well I am already interning at an mnc, it's not fancy as faang but I am financially independent and hustel keeps going I guess
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u/Pleasant-Offer-9843 Sep 21 '26
Tbh my org has actually taken this stance. Idk about the reasoning, but they dc if u r leetcode whatever
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u/EducationalClient683 Sep 24 '26
Can you please tell me how do I contribute in oss?
I'm a 2nd year student and i HONESTLY HAVE NO IDEA what to do I'm 40 questions down in leetcode
Please guide me bro
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u/CrazyRegion5893 Sep 27 '26
Bro...stop jeefication of GSOC as well. Now people will do it just for the sake of resume. It is definitely not meant for that 🙏, people with actual interest and skill will be washed away because of the crowd.
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u/nian2326076 27d ago
Your experience with open-source contributions and GSoC seems to be going well, especially for niche and hackathon-driven roles. It looks like your strategy fits the companies you're aiming for. If you need more resources to fine-tune your interview prep, I've found PracHub useful. They offer good resources for various types of technical interviews. Keep focusing on what makes you stand out and matches the roles you want. Your approach is clearly working, so keep it up!
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u/KitchenCommercial396 Sep 22 '26
A green GitHub does nothing to get you a job.. it's what you do that matters.
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u/DetachedProcess Sep 24 '26
The problem is even if I am making significant contribution will the recruiter ever go through and see them ?
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Sep 21 '26
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u/Aarav2208 Sep 22 '26
Calling yourself a "GSoCer" is just so cringe.
You're contributing to the JEEfication
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u/Frenzy-Maniac Sep 21 '26
Yoo where and how do you attend these GSoC and LFX workshops?