> I can't work on any open source projects because of the learning curve required to get familiar with the codebase
That's totally not true. You'll definitely be expected to contribute with in the first 4 month of starting at work, why are open source projects different?
The processes are probably similar as well. You need someone to help you on board, explain the big pictures, guide you through how thing are connected. Then you take bug, dig into the code and figure out a solution. This is probably what you'll do at a real job, so might as well get used to it. The hardest part is finding someone who is patient enough to guide you along and answer your questions.
That's totally not true. You'll definitely be expected to contribute with in the first 4 month of starting at work, why are open source projects different?
The processes are probably similar as well. You need someone to help you on board, explain the big pictures, guide you through how thing are connected. Then you take bug, dig into the code and figure out a solution. This is probably what you'll do at a real job, so might as well get used to it. The hardest part is finding someone who is patient enough to guide you along and answer your questions.