blog: add post about My-first-30-days-as-an-lfx-mentee-with-pipecd

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+---
+date: 2026-04-08
+title: "My First 30 days as an LFX Mentee with PipeCD"
+linkTitle: "My First 30 days as an LFX Mentee with PipeCD"
+weight: 980
+description: "This blog is a desciption of my first 30 days as an LFX Mentee with PipeCD"
+author: Gloria Johnson ([@riahtgl](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriahjohnson/))
+categories: ["Announcement"]
+tags: ["LFX Mentorship", "PipeCD"]
+---
+
+A month ago, I started my journey as an LFX Mentee with PipeCD.
+
+Coming from a non-technical background, the cloud native ecosystem is relatively new to me; I’ve been outside looking in. Right now, I’m working to establish a social media presence for PipeCD, create content covering v1 features, plugin development, and walkthrough videos that make the project easier to adopt.
+
+To effectively do that, my technical knowledge needs to be sharpened. So I’m learning Linux basics and Kubernetes to enable me to understand how PipeCD v1 works, the plugin architecture, and migration from v0 to v1.
+
+This is my first contact with cloud native technology. I aim to document my journey, including what I’m working on, learning, and everything in between
+
+## Getting started with LFX and PipeCD
+The [LFX Mentorship program](https://github.com/cncf/mentoring/blob/main/programs/lfx-mentorship/README.md#program-guidelines) provides opportunities to contribute to open source projects while learning from experienced maintainers.
+
+Through this program, I joined PipeCD as a mentee for the Community building, Technical content, and Social media growth project.
+
+PipeCD is an open-source continuous delivery solution built around GitOps to enable engineers deploy multiple application kinds across multi-cloud environments.
+
+With the release of PipeCD v1, the project is evolving to be more flexible and extensible through its plugin-based architecture. This makes it easier for teams to integrate PipeCD into their existing workflows and environments, rather than having to change everything to adopt it.
+
+At a high level, PipeCD connects to your application and deployment configuration, then manages how changes are rolled out; gradually, all at once, or in controlled stages. It provides teams with visibility into deployments, along with the ability to monitor, verify, and roll back changes as needed.
+
+If you’re a DevOps or platform engineer seeking more control and flexibility in production, consider PipeCD. It’s designed for safer, more controlled continuous delivery, allowing you to ship fast with confidence.
+
+The [documentation] (https://pipecd.dev/docs-v1.0.x/) is a great place to start and get a picture of how it all fits together.
+
+## What I’ve been up to:
+My focus in the past month has been getting fundamental knowledge on:
+
+- Linux and Kubernetes
+- Computer networking (The OSI model)
+- Encryption and decryption
+- Cloud compute
+- IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, FaaS, and more
+
+I’m intentionally building this foundation because understanding these concepts is key to fully grasping how PipeCD works.
+
+The purpose is not only to learn, but to communicate this clearly to developers and create more detailed videos.
+
+Beyond learning, I actively engage with the community, welcoming new members, reviewing issues, and PRs on GitHub. Essentially, creating a feedback loop between contributors and maintainers
+
+I also create content, post regularly on social media platforms, and host community meetings.
+
+PipeCD community is diverse and inclusive. The Maintainers and contributors are kind, helpful, and supportive. Early on, even before I got selected as a mentee, I got comfortable:
+
+- following conversations on Slack
+
+- Understanding community needs and
+
+- familiarizing myself with the project structure
+
+It was less about immediate contribution and more about learning how things work.
+
+## Reflections and next step:
+The past month has been a really interesting experience; quite challenging, but very insightful.
+
+A perfect blend of what I’m good at (community work) and what I want to learn (cloud native technologies). In the coming days, I will set up PipeCD locally on my machine and explore the technicalities.
+
+There’s still a lot I’m figuring out, work to do, and I’m up for a challenge.
+
+Progress isn’t yet about big milestones but small, consistent steps. building systems and structures to help me better navigate this space.
+
+As I grow into my role as a PipeCD community manager, concepts are gradually becoming clearer, and I’m learning how everything connects. My goal is to ultimately become a maintainer long-term.
+
+PipeCD welcomes contributors from all around the world, irrespective of your background. Technical or non-technical, there’s room to learn, work, and make an impact.
+
+To get involved, check out the [PipeCD project](https://github.com/pipe-cd/pipecd) and come join us on [Slack] (https://app.slack.com/client/T08PSQ7BQ/C01B27F9T0X)
+
+Kindly stay connected by following PipeCD on [LinkedIn] (https://www.linkedin.com/company/pipecd/) and subscribing to our [YouTube](https://youtube.com/@pipe-cd?si=gN28s9W0Ce9hjgVB) Channel.
+
+See you in my next drop.
+
+Gloriah.