FAQs & Common Failure Patterns

Real questions from real contributors.

Most Common Questions

The Honest FAQ Answers

"Why is my PR being ignored?"

Real reasons (rank by frequency):

1. Maintainers are busy (most common - 70%)
   → Solution: Ping after 3 days, ask "How can I help move this forward?"
   
2. PR has issues but wasn't reviewed yet (15%)
   → Solution: Check CI logs, see if tests pass
   
3. PR was abandoned by maintainer (10%)
   → Solution: Ask if they want help, offer to close and reopen cleaner version
   
4. You didn't follow contribution guidelines (5%)
   → Solution: Read CONTRIBUTING.md, reformat, update

What to actually do:

Day 1: Wait for initial response
Day 3: Comment "Hey, is there anything I can do to help move this forward?"
Day 7: "I see this hasn't been reviewed. Should I close and reopen?"
Day 14: Close and reopen with summary, improved version

Time to expect:

Small fixes: 2-7 days
Feature PRs: 1-3 weeks
Major changes: 1-2 months
(These are medians, not guarantees)

"Why was my PR rejected?"

Common rejection reasons:

1. Doesn't solve the stated problem (30%)
   → "This adds feature X, but issue Y needs Z"
   
2. Out of scope for the project (25%)
   → "Nice idea, but we don't do that here"
   
3. Technical issues (20%)
   → "Doesn't handle edge case, breaks existing code"
   
4. Code quality issues (15%)
   → "Needs tests, needs documentation"
   
5. Communication issue (10%)
   → "Didn't discuss before coding"

How to respond:

✓ Good: "Thanks for the feedback. I see the issue now. Want me to fix it?"
❌ Bad: "But I think my approach is better"

Remember: They reviewed your code. That's effort.

"I don't feel good enough"

The truth:

You're comparing your:
- Chapter 2 (current) to
- Chapter 20 (everyone else's finished work)

They started at Chapter 2 once too.
They were confused, made mistakes, wanted to quit.
They didn't.

That's the only difference.

Action steps:

Find someone who contributes + is friendly
Ask them: "What was your first PR like?"
They'll tell you: "Oh man, I was so confused"
That's your permission to be confused too

"Is this imposter syndrome or am I actually bad?"

Check:

IMPOSTER SYNDROME signals:
✓ People say your code is good
✓ Your PRs usually get merged
✓ But you feel like a fraud
→ It's imposter syndrome

ACTUALLY STRUGGLING signals:
✓ PRs consistently get rejected
✓ You struggle with basic concepts
✓ Mentors say "slow down, learn this first"
→ You need more learning, not confidence

The fix is different:
- Imposter? Get proof (merged code, testimonials)
- Struggling? Get help (mentorship, courses, time)

"When should I give up or try a different project?"

Give up after:

3 projects, no success (wrong ecosystem)
1 project, 6 months, still confused (bad fit)
Constant rejection + no feedback (toxic community)

Try different project after:

2-3 rejected PRs from same person (they might have high standards)
Project seems abandoned (no commits in 6+ months)
Community is dismissive (rude or unwelcoming)

Keep trying after:

1st PR rejection (normal)
Feedback given (they care)
Slow response time (they're busy, not uninterested)

Resume & Portfolio Why PRs Get Ignored