Building the Framework of the Future with CNCF Students

This talk explores the challenges faced by students entering the cloud-native ecosystem and presents a framework to streamline the process of finding mentors and contributing to open-source projects. Kunal Kushwaha and Mark Boost discuss initiatives from CNCF Students, aiming to build the next generation of cloud-native professionals. The presentation covers the evolution of the mentor-mentee framework, how the community can leverage it, and emphasizes the importance of fresh ideas, collaboration, diversity, and inclusion in fostering innovation within the cloud-native industry. It also touches upon challenges like lack of experience, communication barriers, and imposter syndrome, offering practical solutions and highlighting the success of programs like CNCF Students and the student track at KubeCon.