This one stood out to me too. One of the few things that has kept me going as a software engineer, both professionally and as an 'enthusiast', has been exactly this 'reinventing the wheel'. Just building stuff. Intentionally not researching how chat bots work and trying it myself first. Avoiding frameworks and starting with a simple HTTP server. And making all the mistakes I could've avoided.

Sure, if I want to get a job done I avoid this, or don't bill. And sure, there are plenty of programmers who get stuck in a 'local optimum' with their homebrew solutions.

But treating programming / software 'engineering' as something that is also about fun and learning and discovering rather than just income and career, has kept me from burning out and made me better at my job.