For this class, I spent my time serving at The Document Foundation doing bug testing. I signed up for this opportunity because I knew it would be a challenge for me and I wanted to expose myself to fields outside of what I normally lean toward. Even with this in mind, getting started with the service hours was difficult for me. I had to learn how to use the software first in order to test bugs along with how to go about the actual testing process. Sometimes I would get stuck trying to figure out if I was actually not able to replicate a bug, or if I was just misunderstanding the problem in question. Luckily, the site supervisor was very accessible for questions and troubleshooting problems and The Document Foundation had good resources via website for some of the problem-solving that needed to happen. Overall, I think the most impactful part for me was seeing how much goes into building "complete" software. Seeing the way that new problems arise or the way that old problems can come back during updates made me really have a lot more patience when dealing with small issues in the software I use regularly. I also gained a lot of respect for the development of software with regards to different operating systems.
My advice for future students would be to get started on the service hours early, as it can take some time getting used to the process and you don't want to be stressed about hours at the end of the semester. Also, communicate with your site supervisor and the other students (if any) who are at the same site as you. They can give you help and advice and save you a lot of wasted time. Lastly, don't get discouraged if you feel like you don't understand something or it's not "clicking" for you. Try to understand that this isn't an achievement-based service, but more an opportunity to learn something new and see if it's something you would want to participate in post-graduation.
