Documentation
Getting Started

Getting Started

Welcome to SEAD Club! Whether you’re brand new to coding or you’ve been at it for years, this guide will help you get set up and start contributing to our projects.

Don’t worry if you hit roadblocks or something doesn’t work right away—that’s completely normal. The setup process can be finicky, and everyone runs into issues. When that happens, just ask for help in our Telegram or at a club meeting. We’ve all been there.

1. Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before jumping into projects, let’s make sure you have the essential tools installed. Don’t stress about getting everything perfect—you can always add or adjust things as you go.

The Basics Everyone Needs

Code Editor Pick one that feels comfortable to you. Popular choices among our members:

  • VS Code – Great for beginners, tons of extensions, works everywhere
  • Neovim/Vim – Powerful and customizable, steeper learning curve
  • JetBrains IDEs (WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.) – Feature-rich, some are free for students
  • Sublime Text or Atom – Lightweight and fast

Don’t overthink this choice. Start with VS Code if you’re unsure—you can always switch later.

Git (Version Control) You’ll use Git for everything here. If you haven’t installed it yet:

  • Windows: Download from git-scm.com
  • Mac: Run git --version in Terminal (it’ll prompt you to install if needed)
  • Linux: Run sudo apt install git (Ubuntu/Debian) or equivalent for your distro

Set up your Git identity:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

GitHub Account If you don’t have one, create a free account at github.com. This is where all our projects live.

Language-Specific Setup

Depending on which projects you want to work on, you’ll need different language runtimes or SDKs:

For Web Development Projects:

  • Node.js & npm – Download here
  • Most of our web projects use this

For Python Projects:

  • Python 3.x – Download here
  • Consider using venv or virtualenv for project isolation

For Other Languages: Check the project’s README for specific requirements. Common ones include:

  • Java (JDK)
  • C++ compiler (GCC, Clang)
  • Rust
  • Go

Pro tip: Don’t install everything at once. Install what you need for the specific project you’re starting with.

Project-Specific Setup

Once you’ve picked a project to work on, always read its README.md file first. Every project has unique setup steps, dependencies, and quirks. The README will tell you exactly what you need.

Common setup patterns you’ll see:

# Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/seadclub/project-name.git
cd project-name

# Install dependencies (example for Node.js)
npm install

# Run the project
npm start

If something breaks during setup: Check the README’s troubleshooting section, search the issue tracker, or ask in our Telegram. Someone has probably hit the same problem before.

2. Finding and Contributing to Projects

Ready to dive in? Here’s how to explore what we’re working on and start contributing.

Browse Our Projects

Head to our GitHub organization (replace with your actual org link) and explore the repositories. Look for:

  • Projects that match your interests (web dev, AI/ML, games, tools, etc.)
  • Issues tagged “good first issue” or “beginner-friendly”
  • Active projects with recent commits (these usually have more support available)

Not sure where to start? Ask in our community channels—people love talking about their projects and can point you toward something that fits your skill level and interests.

The Basic Contribution Workflow

Here’s the general process for contributing to any of our projects:

  1. Fork the repository – Click “Fork” on GitHub to create your own copy
  2. Clone your fork – Download it to your computer 
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/project-name.git
  3. Create a branch – Never work directly on main 
    git checkout -b your-feature-name
  4. Make your changes – Code, test, repeat
  5. Commit your work – Write clear commit messages 
    git add .
git commit -m "Add feature X"
  6. Push to your fork 
    git push origin your-feature-name
  7. Open a Pull Request – Go to the original repo on GitHub and click “New Pull Request”

For detailed instructions, see our Contributing Guide.

Your First Contribution

Nervous about your first contribution? That’s normal. Here are some low-pressure ways to start:

  • Fix typos or improve documentation – Small but genuinely helpful
  • Add comments to confusing code – Helps you understand it and helps others too
  • Tackle a “good first issue” – These are specifically chosen to be approachable
  • Pair program with an experienced member – Ask someone to work on something together

Remember: Everyone’s first PR is awkward. The point is to learn and get comfortable with the process.

3. Getting Help (And How to Ask Good Questions)

You will get stuck. Everyone does. Here’s how to get unstuck efficiently.

Where to Ask for Help

Telegram/Discord Channels Our main communication platform. Great for quick questions, real-time help, and casual discussions. Don’t be shy—people are here because they like helping.

GitHub Issues For project-specific bugs, feature discussions, or technical questions that need context. This also helps others who might have the same issue later.

Club Meetings & Events Nothing beats face-to-face (or screen-to-screen) help. Bring your laptop, share your screen, and work through problems together. We regularly hold:

  • Coding sessions
  • Workshops
  • Office hours with experienced members

Check our calendar or Telegram for upcoming events.

How to Ask Good Questions

We love helping, but good questions get better answers faster. When you’re stuck:

Before asking:

  1. Read the relevant documentation or README
  2. Search for similar issues on GitHub or in chat history
  3. Try debugging it yourself for at least 15-20 minutes
  4. Google the error message
  5. Use AI

When asking, include:

  • What you’re trying to do
  • What you expected to happen
  • What actually happened (including error messages)
  • What you’ve already tried
  • Relevant code snippets or screenshots

Bad question: “My code doesn’t work, help?”

Good question: “I’m trying to run the web app locally but getting a ‘port already in use’ error. I’ve tried stopping other servers and restarting my terminal. Here’s the error: [screenshot]. Any ideas?”

The more context you provide, the faster someone can help you.

Office Hours & Mentorship

We have experienced members who are happy to mentor newcomers. If you want one-on-one guidance or have bigger questions about your learning path, reach out to club leadership. We can pair you with someone who’s been where you are.

4. What’s Next?

Now that you’re set up, here’s what to do:

  1. Join our communication channels if you haven’t already
  2. Introduce yourself – Tell us what you’re interested in learning
  3. Pick a project that looks interesting and clone it
  4. Read the project’s docs and get it running locally
  5. Find a small contribution to make (docs, bug fix, feature)
  6. Ask questions when you’re stuck
  7. Attend a club meeting to meet people in person

You don’t need to know everything before you start. You learn by doing, by breaking things, by asking questions, and by contributing even when you’re not 100% sure what you’re doing.

That’s literally how everyone here learned.

Still Confused?

That’s okay! Setup can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to development workflows. Seriously, just ask. Drop a message in our Telegram with “Hey, I’m new and confused about [specific thing]” and someone will help you out.

We all started somewhere. Welcome to SEAD Club—let’s build something cool together.

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