Navigating Challenges in Open Source Contributions: A Personal Journey

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Personal Challenges and Financial Gaps

As a PhD candidate in Economics, I find myself navigating significant obstacles in my final year. Health issues combined with financial constraints have created a precarious situation for my academic journey.

During my time studying in Canada, I experienced a serious accident, resulting in a US$12,000 medical bill after I fell on ice due to pre-existing arthritis. This condition severely restricts my mobility and typing capabilities, impacting my ability to engage in part-time work. Further complicating matters, delays in scholarship funding and reductions in UK science funding have left me with insufficient resources to cover living expenses and tuition fees.

Efforts to secure financial aid from Chilean scholarship programs have proven unfruitful as options have diminished and funding has been reallocated to support domestic studies only. Consequently, I'm compelled to seek job opportunities that conform to my visa regulations while completing my thesis amidst growing debt.

Commitment to Open Source Contributions

Despite these hardships, my passion for contributing to the open-source community remains strong. I've dedicated the last eight years to enhancing the R ecosystem, allowing me to remain engaged even when traditional employment opportunities are limited.

Some of my notable projects include:

• Chilemapas: an R package designed to create detailed administrative maps of Chile.
• D3po: an open-source alternative to Highcharts aimed at R users, featuring a JavaScript core that operates independently.
• Tradepolicy: an e-book and software initiative reflecting insights from "An Advanced Guide to Trade Policy Analysis."
• Capybara: a project merging R and Stata methodologies for estimating models with numerous fixed effects.
• R GUI 2: a straightforward GUI for R tailored for accessibility (e.g., compatibility with typing assistants and screen readers).
• Tabler for R: an ongoing project offering multi-user functionality independent of specific database engines.

Furthermore, my contributions extend to pointblank, usethis, the base R ecosystem, and a large portion of the Spanish translation for R for Data Science.

These projects underline my commitment to making R tools accessible and useful, driven by community feedback and recognition of prevailing gaps in the ecosystem.

Seeking Collaborative Opportunities

I'm currently in search of projects where I can contribute through coding, package maintenance, technical writing, or assist in research. My interests lie in data analysis, reproducible research, and econometrics, as well as the ongoing enhancement of open-source software.

The landscape for finding collaborators has shifted dramatically recently, with a surge in organizations utilizing AI tools. I've engaged in some projects addressing issues that arose from inexperienced AI implementations, but such opportunities are not plentiful. I'm therefore actively seeking connections and projects that value my expertise and experience.

Due to visa restrictions, I'm limited to 20 hours of compensated work per week, which necessitates well-defined part-time projects and collaborations. If you have needs related to R packages, data workflows, documentation, or research tools, I invite you to reach out via email.

In addition to R, I possess substantial skills in C++, Python, and SQL, which further expand my ability to contribute to diverse projects.

Ways to Support My Work

I've set up GitHub Sponsors for those who find my packages and contributions valuable. If my projects have facilitated your research or enhanced your use of open-source tools, please consider sponsoring me. Even small recurring contributions allow me to focus on maintenance, documentation, and features that keep these resources available at no cost.

If financial assistance isn't feasible, support can also come in the form of sharing this message, reporting issues, or suggesting improvements and new connections. Every form of participation is vital for sustaining the open-source community.

I extend my gratitude to everyone who has used my work, provided feedback, contributed code, or offered encouragement. The solidarity I’ve experienced has been instrumental, and I aim to keep engaging with this vibrant community for many more years.

Published Works

I have also authored several books covering topics in data visualization, econometrics, and optimization:

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Ggplot2
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Plotnine
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Linear Models
• A Primer in Optimization

Thank you for your support.

Pachá

P.S. Besides my academic pursuits, I also design and craft guitar pedals inspired by Queen and Dr. Brian May. This side project is another avenue for income, showcased on @britishtreble on Instagram.