How Breaking a Git Branch Became My Biggest Lesson in Teamwork

The tech world is full of lessons, but sometimes, it’s the mistakes we make that teach us the most. Recently, I had one of those “oh no” moments during my HNG 11 internship that changed the way I see teamwork, growth, and learning.

You see, HNG 11 is a fast-paced developer internship, where we had to hit deadlines, manage group tasks, and submit results quickly. Things were moving smoothly until we hit Stage 3. Our task was simple—design a backend API, no big deal, right?

Wrong.

The Git Fiasco

While working on our group task, I made one of the worst mistakes you can make in a team project—I broke our Git branch. Everything went sideways, delaying our submission. At that moment, I was sure I’d let my team down. In fact, I was expecting panic, frustration, maybe even some finger-pointing.

But something surprising happened.

What Came Next Was Unexpected

Instead of blame or panic, my team’s response was the opposite. They were calm, supportive, and focused on getting us back on track. Our team leader stepped up, helping us troubleshoot the issue, and instead of tearing things apart, we pulled together. By the end of it, not only did we fix the mess, but we also submitted the task on time.

This moment taught me the value of collaboration under pressure, and why asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a strength.

Here’s What I Learned:

• Teamwork can be the difference between failure and success. Having a supportive team in tough moments can make all the difference.
• Asking for help is powerful. When things go wrong, reach out. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.

Ready to Read More?

This experience, along with many others during my HNG journey, gave me a deeper understanding of what it means to grow as a developer, and more importantly, as a person. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve messed up or faced challenges that seemed overwhelming, my full blog post might resonate with you.

I dive deeper into the highs, lows, and the lessons learned along the way. Curious to see how this story unfolds and how growth often comes from unexpected places? You can read the full post here.

What’s your biggest coding blunder?

We’ve all had moments where things didn’t go as planned. Share your own stories in the comments, whether it's a similar Git mishap or another unexpected challenge. I’d love to hear how you navigated it!

Let’s start a conversation!