Summer of Bitcoin 2024: My Experience

Hey Everyone! I'm writing this blog as I reach the halfway point of my Summer of Bitcoin 2024 internship. Here, I'm going to share how one can succeed in Summer of Bitcoin, based on my experience as I've progressed through this journey. I'll try to be as practical and unfiltered as possible so that readers can take away valuable insights from this blog.

Before we begin, we should ask ourselves if we really want to apply for SoB. I would suggest diving deep into what Bitcoin is and what SoB has to offer. Bitcoin is an amazing community with incredibly talented people. So our first aim should be to learn, grow, and enlighten the world about Bitcoin.

About the Summer of Bitcoin

Summer of Bitcoin is a global program that matches students with open-source, free software, and technology-related organisations working on Bitcoin. Participants write code and become part of these communities while earning some BTC along the way! The organisations provide mentors who act as guides through the entire process, from learning about the community to contributing code. Students get involved in and become familiar with the Bitcoin open-source community, putting their summer break to good use.

To learn more, visit the Summer of Bitcoin website.

Selection Process

Applications and Screening

The first step is to complete the application form. My advice is to stay authentic—don’t exaggerate your skills, and be honest about your strengths. This will set a strong foundation for the rest of the process.

A key factor this year was the emphasis on open-source experience, so highlight your contributions and practical coding work. While DSA and Competitive Programming (CP) achievements are still valuable, prioritize showcasing your real-world projects, particularly in areas like web development and blockchain. The goal is to demonstrate practical problem-solving and collaboration skills, which are increasingly valued in the industry.

In previous years, the selection process leaned more heavily toward DSA, but this year’s shift toward open-source development seems to reflect a broader trend in the tech world, where companies value hands-on coding experience and contributions to impactful projects. This is likely to continue in future selections, so consider building a strong open-source portfolio.

Bootcamp Structure

If your application is successfully selected, you’ll move on to a 4-week bootcamp. This phase is designed to deepen your technical knowledge and assess your readiness for the program. Each week, you’ll be provided with learning resources to read, and you’ll need to formulate insightful questions based on your study. Engaging deeply with the material and asking thoughtful questions can set you apart here, as it shows active engagement with the subject matter.

The Zoom seminars will include discussions with instructors and peers. This is a great opportunity to not only learn but also demonstrate your collaborative skills. Remember, technical knowledge is important, but so is your ability to communicate and work effectively with others, especially in open-source environments.

Assignment and Selection

At the end of the bootcamp, you’ll receive a technical assignment, which is the core determinant for final selection, alongside your project proposal. For my assignment, I was tasked with simulating the process of mining a Bitcoin block. This assignment covered various aspects of Bitcoin’s architecture and required knowledge of key concepts like:

• Transaction types (P2PKH, P2SH, P2WPKH, P2WSH)

• Block header construction

• Coinbase transaction serialization

• Extracting and validating transaction IDs (txids)

• Mining a block by solving for the required difficulty target

This task required a deep understanding of how Bitcoin works under the hood and how to implement these processes programmatically. It took me 20 intense days to complete, but the learning experience was invaluable. The assignment really tests your ability to work through complex problems independently.

Proposal Round

After being selected, candidates move to the next stage, where they are given a list of organizations and projects. Each participant is encouraged to propose ideas for one or two of these projects. While the website provides all the necessary technical details, the hardest part for me was choosing the right organisation. I chose pyASIC (a simplified and standardized interface for Bitcoin ASICs).

Once you've found organisations that interest you, the next step is usually to complete their competency tests. However, my organization didn't have this requirement.

Open source is more than just writing code; it's about a community where knowledge is shared, collaboration thrives, and innovation knows no limits.

The SoB website has everything you need to write a great proposal. You can visit here to learn more about good proposal templates: SoB Proposal Guide.

Tips for the proposal round

• Start engaging with organizations as soon as they’re announced. Early interactions with mentors and the community increase your chances.

• Stay active in community channels. Ask questions, help others, and make a good impression.

• Work on the assignment early to avoid last-minute stress. Don’t leave it for the deadline.

• Make sure you have enough contributions (PRs, blogs, community activity) to showcase in your proposal.

• Clearly show your intent to contribute beyond Summer of Bitcoin, not just for the stipend.

Onboarding

The program kicked off around May 15 for those whose results were announced, and the onboarding process began. Selected participants were instructed to meet with their mentors to discuss their work, set timelines, and start their projects.

I also want to express my gratitude to Adi for the exceptional onboarding process. From day one, Adi made everything smooth and exciting, guiding us through every step of the program. His support and assistance made this journey even more enjoyable and rewarding.

I would also like to thank my mentors Brett Rowan and James Hilliard, as well as the pyASIC community, for selecting me for the project.

Conclusion

In this process, what truly stands out is your ability to contribute meaningfully to open-source projects and showcase your practical coding skills. Effective collaboration, clear communication, and strong problem-solving abilities are key to success. Focus on learning and building projects that not only highlight your technical expertise but also demonstrate your enthusiasm for making a real-world impact. All the best in your journey!