Everyone Struggles: Growth Through Asking

Everyone Struggles: Growth Through Asking

As someone who used to struggle with asking for help, choosing a career in the tech industry—and contributing to open source, no less—has forced me to embrace it. During my second week as an intern at Wikimedia through Outreachy, I was tasked with writing a literature review on accessibility interventions and needs for people with visual and motor impairments. It had been a while since I'd written one, so I had to refresh my skills.

I started by consulting various resources, including helpful "how-to" videos on YouTube. To avoid getting bogged down in analysis paralysis, I decided to put what I'd learned into action by diving straight into researching relevant literature. This proved challenging. The search felt never-ending, with a constant influx of potentially useful (and not-so-useful) materials. I also ran into another hurdle: not all the resources I needed were freely accessible, an assumption I'd made.

Asking for Help Saves Time (and Sanity)

My experience quickly reinforced the value of asking for help. During my second meeting with Justin, the UX Design Lead, we realized that I couldn't access one of the design libraries I needed. He promptly ensured I received access and even walked me through some aspects of the design files I already have access to. His support was incredibly helpful, delivered with a calm and thoughtful demeanor.

Later, when I hit a roadblock with accessing some research materials, my mentor, Carolyn, offered to help track them down. Even more valuable, she shared a structured process for completing the literature review, which has been immensely helpful. I truly appreciate the supportive environment at Wikimedia. They have made it easy to reach out for assistance, which has been a huge relief.

In the words of Outreachy organizers, ‘Learning can be hard! We may struggle to understand something. We may make a lot of mistakes when we practice new skills. And that's okay, because everyone struggles’.

Thank you for reading.