When you want to get things done, it’s better not to waste time rebuilding what already exists. Contributing is more important than writing a new flashy thing.
Other than helping build your community, you will get many things back.
- Common mistakes have been fixed already
- Security concerns are more likely to be discussed
You need to be careful to Choose dependencies wisely. And don’t take it too far… remember Prefer duplication over the wrong abstraction
My rule of thumb is, if it’s a well known issue, add a dependency, otherwise, do it yourself. Basically, quick research before writing yourself. You might learn something new.
Part of Tips for Software Engineers