The Atmosphere
The people
Applies to: All
The people you'll meet through working on openFIRST tend to be diligent workers who love what they do. That's not to say everyone's happy all the time, deadlines and release dates can be stressful. Throughout your time contributing to openFIRST, you'll face challenges with the group, conflicts with people, clashes of ideas, and eventually triumph over adversity to make a lasting difference to the project.
It's worth noting that all developers are students (and not University/College mentors) on FIRST Robotics, or FIRST Lego League/Vex teams; this is one of the fundamental ideals within openFIRST-- that the project must be student-driven. It's likely that the people you meet doing openFIRST could be the people you go to University or College with in the future, and that they will become your friends. They can also be the people you decide to join or form future projects/companies with. openFIRST isn't an end in itself, it's a starting point. The web portal itself is a starting point for a website and a community; and the relationships with the other contributors can be a starting point for future endeavours.
The environment
Applies to: All
openFIRST has little to no unified physical presence; this can be tough, but it also has advantages. Most contributions are made Online, through the Internet. It is possible to spread the word of openFIRST through teaching sessions, and workshops; doing so can provide a personal connection to the project. You can choose where you want to work on the project, and the amount of work you do. The environment is generally pretty calm and laid back (except around release times). People tend to be grateful for your contributions and we do notice the behind the scenes work.
The learning
Applies to: All
One of the goals of the openFIRST project is to cause students to learn as much as possible. This includes not only the technical aspects of any given role, but also group dynamics. What people learn from the openFIRST project is as diverse as the people themselves. As a general rule, you get back from the project what you put into it; even if the reward is delayed.
Take an active role. Contribute. It's worth-while.