When Language, Diplomacy, and Tech Collide

Starting with English Literature studies after which moving to information technology, WordPress contributor Ahmed Kabir Chaion is a real explorer. He has contributed to at the very least nine of the Make WordPress teams and is at all times in search of ways to help further.

For example, he mentors recent contributors, each in release squads and for each day contributions. Ahmed also considers himself a ‘no-code advocate’ – he often gives talks targeted to non-technical users on navigating the WordPress platform.

Read on to see how Ahmed’s drive to learn and keenness for helping others has made him a noteworthy WordPress contributor.

From His First WordPress Website to First WordCamp

Ahmed’s first interaction with WordPress was in 2009, during his university years in Australia. He had an task to construct an eCommerce website using WordPress. While he found the CMS easy to make use of and had a good time making the positioning, he didn’t really take into consideration taking this anywhere further.

Fast forward to 2019, Mainul Kabir Aion, Ahmed’s younger brother, was the organizer of WordCamp Dhaka. Ahmed decided to attend the event simply to see what it was like. It turned out he was so enthralled along with his WordCamp experience that he promised himself that he would grow to be a part of the WordPress community.

“I felt just like the WordPress community is full of like-minded people who find themselves willing to assist one another,” says Ahmed.

Ahmed considered this second encounter with WordPress as his ‘real first,’ as this was the one which made him wish to dive deep into the project and grow to be a contributor.

“As a newcomer, once I asked a matter, people would are available and answer. I assumed they might ignore me, but they texted me directly and said, ‘Hey, you’re attempting to do that? Then read this, try this.’ I got specific instructions and assistance, which greatly helped,” Ahmed elaborates on his experience.

“It’s normal for anyone to feel stuck during a project’s onboarding process. So it really matters to have individuals who communicate with you in a really empathic way. This will make or break a user sometimes.”

An Explorer Contributor

When Ahmed first stepped into the WordPress contribution realm, he joined the Marketing team, as he was a marketing skilled back then. He simply began getting involved within the team’s tasks, equivalent to sharing ideas and making documentation. The Marketing meeting was a Slack text-based meeting, so it was easy for him to catch up.

After a few months, Ahmed realized joining other teams was also possible, so he began exploring them. He then jumped to Design, Accessibility, Polyglots, Training Teams – the list goes on. He even became a Team Representative for the Design Team and is currently one in every of the Polyglots Team Reps.

“In the event you’re undecided which team you belong to, you need to explore until you could have the team you might be comfortable contributing to. There’s no harm in it,” Ahmed says.

“I attempt to stay involved, because I consider I still haven’t found out where I suit higher,” Ahmed continues. Such a humble attitude can easily be found amongst WordPress community members, where everyone from various expertise levels are appreciated for learning any field of contribution they desire. Everyone seems to be welcome to be a work-in-progress.

In joining the Training team that develops and maintains the Learn WordPress website, Ahmed’s motivation is to create content that beginners can easily understand. “I would like to create workshops, lesson plans, and tutorials in each English and my native language, Bengali,” he explains.

Within the Training team, content creators can work along with subject material experts to create learning materials, complementing each others’ skills. It allows more people to have a knowledge-sharing experience, while still maintaining the reliability of the fabric.

Moreover, Ahmed notably contributed to the Core team, where he was one in every of the squad leads for several WordPress releases – from WordPress 5.9 to six.1. “I used to be one in every of the Core Triage Leads in WordPress 6.3. My role was to coach other relatively newer co-leads in triaging for a WordPress release,” Ahmed says.

He also helped articulate a triaging plan, because the team wanted as many days and different time zones as possible. “Some tickets need an extended time to unravel, so we’ve got to create a strategic decision to push them to the following release, which is WordPress 6.4.”

And though Ahmed’s not officially a part of the WordPress 6.4 release squad, he’s able to help if the following triage team needs any guidance in advancing the project. “The previous leads can be found, they will just tell us. Emergencies can occur, and we got your back,” he says.

So as to add to Ahmed’s almost all-round contribution, he has also been organizing WordPress-related events, each online and offline. This includes WordPress Accessibility Day, WordCamp Asia 2023, and the upcoming WordCamp Asia 2024.

Taking the Technical Path as a No-Code Person

Speaking of Ahmed’s contribution to the WordPress Core team, it’s interesting how Ahmed, who considers himself a no-code person, will be involved in a team that mainly deals with code.

Ahmed’s background is rooted in two fields – linguistics and technology. He studied English literature, network security, software development, and data technology. Even with such solid technical skills, Ahmed sees himself as a no-code person, as most of his skilled life has been around marketing, business development, and community engagement.

After Ahmed began contributing to WordPress, he discovered he wanted to hitch a release squad someday. To do this, he realized he needed to have a certain level of experience and experience. So he began to explore a bit farther from his comfort zone and joined the regular triage meeting within the Core Team.

“People would come up, and they’d solve issues which can be reported to the WordPress Core. After I attended those triage meetings, I struggled to know what was exactly happening,” Ahmed recalls his experience. “Throughout the first months of joining the WordPress Core’s Slack channel, I observed how people shared updates: they shared the ticket link and went through the main points, and others would share their opinion on tips on how to solve the problem.”

Ahmed’s remark made him realize that though he’s not a programmer, he understood those development updates. He used to work as a business analyst, so he was aware of test reports and documentation. He asked himself, “I can understand it, but I’m not the precise person to search out the answer. So, what can I do to make a meaningful contribution here?”

He kept showing as much as the triage meetings while slowly determining how his contribution may very well be most beneficial. He read the meeting notes and the long list of chats that kept coming up within the Core channel, when he noticed that it was difficult to put in writing a summary within the last minutes of the meeting. Whereas, the team needs a summary so those that would come back to examine the ticket updates can construct up from the prevailing information. And that’s when Ahmed got the concept he could write a greater summary.

“Let’s say, there’s a problem that five individuals are trying to unravel, and so they’re all from different parts of the world in various time zones. They’re problem solvers, but they will be really focused on fixing that problem, and struggle to put in writing the documentation quickly,” says Ahmed. “I’m not a content author, but I’m a proofreader. And I’m a language trainer. So I volunteered to put in writing summaries for the tickets during triage meetings.”

Ahmed then explains his process. “I’d often write a summary and show it to the developers. In the event that they have some input, I’d go to the ticket and update it.” He’s now a Core contributor for eight consecutive WordPress releases, similar to what he aimed to do in the primary place.

How Diplomacy and Linguistics Can Profit Tech

Bangladesh is now one in every of the significantly growing forces when it comes to tech talent – it’s one in every of the leading sources of freelancers. “Lately, many Bangladeshi have distant jobs, like myself. They work for multinational corporations, but from the comfort of their homes. More fresh graduates wish to get into the tech industry,” says Ahmed.

The WordPress community in Bangladesh can also be growing, with many students coming to local WordPress meetups. As well as, many individuals find their option to earn by doing work related to WordPress.

Nonetheless, Ahmed noticed that communication may very well be a roadblock for non-English professionals. While English proficiency just isn’t mandatory, mastering it may make the working and networking experience more enjoyable.

“Fresh graduates from many universities don’t understand the importance of mastering English as a second language. In addition they struggle with anticipating the cultural differences in distant working environments,” Ahmed explains. “I’m an expert trainer for the IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE exams. I’ve been attempting to mix this skilled language proficiency with my WordPress skills to assist my local people improve their communication skills and be more productive.”

Together with his extensive Model United Nations experience, Ahmed can also be a diplomacy mentor. He mentors and judges for diplomacy competitions. When Ahmed got invited as a dais member for a Model UN Conference at Dhaka University, it dawned on him that he could also teach the tech community around him the soft skills he assessed during that competition.

“Public speaking, negotiation, lobbying…These skills are all a part of communication skills. This skill set will probably be very useful in multicultural settings,” he says. Good communication skills also assist in organizing a Meetup and WordCamps, and life generally.

Now, Ahmed also helps his mentees in perfecting their communication skills. It’s amazing to see how Ahmed’s past experiences in language and diplomacy all add up and fuel his current focus in tech.