As Winter term comes to an end, I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of what it means to work as part of a team– specifically, in the context of collaborative coding. Since this term’s theme revolved around development, I got a real-world glimpse into how coding groups function beyond just individual programming.
One of the biggest takeaways from this term was working with GitHub in a team environment. I’ve used GitHub before, but using it as a group completely changed my perspective. Version control became more than just pushing and pulling code, it was about clear communication, organization, and accountability. Seeing how multiple people interact in the same space gave me a better understanding of how large-scale development teams operate. Also, I have to give GitHub some credit for evolving beyond just code storage. Its expansion into project management and documentation makes it a great all-in-one package.
I’m no stranger to group work, but this was my first experience collaborating on a coding project where multiple people contributed to the same codebase. If there’s one major lesson I learned, it’s the importance of making steady, structured progress. In group coding, everything has to follow a system, whether it’s continuous integration, code sniffers, or pull request reviews, to ensure that things don’t fall apart. And, as it turns out, I really enjoy that kind of structure.
I’ve always considered myself a creative person, but I thrive in a structured, organized system. I like everything to have its designated place—no junk drawers, no unnecessary clutter. That same mindset carried over into our group’s workflow, and I appreciated how we maintained a tight, efficient process. If anything, this term reinforced how much I enjoy the methodical, systematic nature of developing a project.
Looking back on this term, learning to navigate group workflows, maintain clean code, and leveraging GitHub’s full potential made this experience feel like a real-world development scenario. More than just technical skills, I’ve gained a better understanding of how I work best: in an organized, system-driven environment where progress is consistent and deliberate.
