Common Myths New Contributors Believe
These Myths Kill Contributions
Every myth below has derailed countless contributors. Knowing them upfront saves you months of frustration.
The Myth-Reality Framework
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MYTH VS REALITY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ MYTHS REALITY │
│ ───── ─────── │
│ │
│ Quick results ───────► Long-term investment │
│ Instant mentorship ───────► Self-directed learning │
│ Code is everything ───────► Soft skills matter equally │
│ All projects welcome ───────► Some are hostile │
│ Fast PR reviews ───────► Weeks of waiting │
│ Quantity wins ───────► Quality always wins │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Myth #1: "Contribute to Get Hired Fast"
THE MYTH
"I'll contribute to open source for a few months and companies will line up to hire me."
The Reality
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CAREER IMPACT TIMELINE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Month 1-3: ░░░░░░░░░░ Learning, failing, minimal impact │
│ Month 4-6: ▓░░░░░░░░░ First merged PRs, building presence │
│ Month 7-12: ▓▓▓░░░░░░░ Recognized contributor, some impact │
│ Year 1-2: ▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░ Strong profile, real opportunities │
│ Year 2+: ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ Significant career differentiator │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘What Actually Works
- Deep contributions to 1-2 projects (not shallow to 20)
- Contributions that show problem-solving, not just typo fixes
- Public technical writing about your contributions
- Relationships with maintainers who can vouch for you
Myth #2: "Maintainers Will Mentor Me"
THE MYTH
"Open source is great for learning because experienced developers will teach me."
The Reality
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MAINTAINER REALITY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ MAINTAINER TIME │ │
│ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │
│ │ ████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Issue triage (40%) │ │
│ │ ████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ PR reviews (35%) │ │
│ │ ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Own code (15%) │ │
│ │ ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Community (10%) │ │
│ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Teaching (0%) │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Maintainers are: │
│ • Overwhelmed with issues and PRs │
│ • Volunteers (usually unpaid) │
│ • Fighting burnout daily │
│ • Focused on project health, not teaching │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘What Actually Works
Do Your Homework First
Exhaust all documentation, past issues, and Stack Overflow before asking.
Ask Smart Questions
Include what you've tried, what you expected, and what happened.
Respect Their Time
Keep questions focused. One question per issue. No spam.
Give Back
Answer questions from other newcomers when you can.
Myth #3: "Good Code Is All That Matters"
THE MYTH
"If my code is good, it will be merged. Technical quality is everything."
The Reality
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WHY GOOD CODE GETS REJECTED │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ❌ Doesn't follow contribution guidelines │
│ ❌ No issue linked / unsolicited feature │
│ ❌ Poor PR description │
│ ❌ Conflicts with project direction │
│ ❌ Maintainer bandwidth exhausted │
│ ❌ Breaks backward compatibility │
│ ❌ Missing tests │
│ ❌ Author unresponsive to feedback │
│ ❌ PR too large to review │
│ ❌ Duplicates existing work │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Read CONTRIBUTING.md
Every project has guidelines. Follow them exactly.
File an Issue First
Before writing code, discuss your approach. Get buy-in.
Write Great Descriptions
Explain the why, not just the what.
Be Responsive
When maintainers review, respond within 48 hours.
Myth #4: "All Projects Welcome Newcomers"
THE MYTH
"Open source communities are welcoming by nature. Any project will be happy to have me."
Red Flags to Avoid
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PROJECT RED FLAGS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 🚩 Maintainers are rude in issue comments │
│ 🚩 PRs sit for months with no response │
│ 🚩 No Code of Conduct exists │
│ 🚩 Newcomer questions are mocked or ignored │
│ 🚩 Same 2-3 people do everything, no community │
│ 🚩 Last commit was months ago │
│ 🚩 Issues closed without explanation │
│ 🚩 Hostile responses to bug reports │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Protect Your Energy
If a project feels hostile after your first few interactions, leave. There are thousands of welcoming projects. Don't waste time on toxic ones.
Myth #5: "My PRs Will Be Merged Quickly"
THE MYTH
"I'll submit a PR and it will be reviewed and merged within a few days."
Average Time-to-Merge
| Project Size | First Response | Full Review | Merge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (< 100 ⭐) | 1-3 days | 1 week | 2 weeks |
| Medium (100-1K ⭐) | 1-2 weeks | 2-4 weeks | 1-2 months |
| Large (1K-10K ⭐) | 2-4 weeks | 1-2 months | 2-3 months |
| Huge (10K+ ⭐) | 1-2 months | Variable | Variable |
Myth #6: "Quantity Over Quality"
THE MYTH
"The more PRs I submit, the better. GitHub green squares matter most."
Contribution Farming Red Flags
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🚨 CONTRIBUTION FARMER SIGNALS 🚨 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ • PRs that only fix typos │
│ • Contributions spread across 50+ random projects │
│ • No depth in any single project │
│ • PRs submitted during Hacktoberfest only │
│ • Automated or AI-generated contributions │
│ • No engagement in issues, only PRs │
│ • No responses to review feedback │
│ │
│ Maintainers can spot this INSTANTLY │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Quality Always Wins
One meaningful contribution that shows you understand the codebase is worth more than 100 drive-by typo fixes.
The Right Mindset
THE TRUTH
Open source rewards patience, quality, and genuine interest in the project—not quick hacks to pad your resume.
- ✓ It's a marathon, not a sprint
- ✓ Learning > Recognition
- ✓ Relationships > PR counts
- ✓ Depth > Breadth
- ✓ Consistency > Intensity