Introduction

Why should I join MRover Software?

• MRover gives you the opportunity to work on an interesting project that spans many fields of study. In fact, MRover is arguably the most interdisciplinary project team in the Wilson Center.
• You will learn skills that are incredibly useful in industry and life. Many of these skills are unattainable through classwork.
• You get to meet and make friends with lots of other students! MRover attracts many interesting, talented people. You can learn a lot from these people if you pay attention, and we're sure we can learn from you too (even if you don't think so right now).
• You can be a part of a team as we compete for a (second) international title.
• You should NOT join if one of your primary reasons is that MRover will look good on your resume.

What experience do I need to join MRover Software?

• Prior experience is not required to join, and we will do our best to help get you up to speed. If you do not have experience with programming languages like C++ or Python, there will be a sizable learning curve ahead of you, but it is manageable. We will guide you and provide resources to help you along. With that said, be prepared to take initiative for your own learning, and ask for help when you need it.
• If you are familiar with C++ and/or Python (or other languages/skills), you still must be ready to learn.
• Beyond programming languages, learning to use Git for version control is essential for contributing to our codebase. Again, we will help along the way, but you must put in effort to learn about Git. Be sure to read the Git tutorials later on in this wiki!

What sort of traits and skills do I need to be successful in MRover Software?

This is an engineering project team, and the goal is to learn-by-doing. While senior members will teach and mentor as much as possible, ultimately they are not professors. 90% of what you get out of this will be self-taught. As such, you will get out of this exactly what you put into it. You need to be patient, curious, and determined. There is a lot to learn which can be overwhelming but you need to take the initiative to catch up and start contributing. If you have those character traits, you will be able to contribute a lot to the team in a relatively short amount of time!

The main technical skill that you will need (other than basic programming) is the ability to teach yourself things. A more specific manifestation of that is to know how to Google. Believe it or not, Googling is a skill, and a critical one at that.