As an ICT student, I spend a lot of time learning programming concepts and working on assignments. But learning how to work with other developers is a different experience. Hacktoberfest encouraged me to explore that side of software development and think more seriously about open source.
When I first started learning Git and GitHub, there were so many terms to understand: repositories, branches, commits, forks, and pull requests. I could remember the commands, but understanding how they fit together took more time.
Exploring open-source collaboration helped those concepts make sense.
Git became more than a list of commands
One of the biggest lessons for me was understanding why version control matters.
Git keeps a record of changes, which makes it easier to understand how a project develops. Branches give us space to work on a change, while commits help explain the steps we took.
I also began to appreciate the value of a clear commit message. Writing “updated files” might feel enough at the moment, but it tells the next person very little. A useful message helps someone understand what changed without having to guess.
These small habits can make teamwork much easier.
GitHub is a place for conversations
I used to think of GitHub mainly as a place to upload code. Now, I see how much discussion happens around that code.
An issue explains a problem. A pull request introduces a proposed change. A review gives people a chance to ask questions, suggest improvements, and check whether the change fits the project.
That process taught me that explaining my work matters too. Someone reviewing a contribution needs to understand the problem, the solution, and how the change was checked.
Good communication makes the code easier to review.
Small contributions can still be useful
As a beginner, it is easy to look at an unfamiliar repository and feel that you have nothing valuable to offer.
But a project needs more than new features. Clear setup instructions, corrected documentation, helpful examples, and well-described bug reports all help people use and maintain it.
This changed how I think about contributing. A sensible starting point is finding a small problem I understand and working carefully on it.
The size of a change does not tell the whole story of its usefulness.
Collaboration requires patience
Reading someone else’s code takes time. So does understanding contribution guidelines and learning how a project is organised.
I am learning to slow down, read first, and ask specific questions when I get stuck. I am also learning to see feedback as part of improving the work. A suggested change is an opportunity to understand something I may have missed.
What I want to carry forward
My biggest takeaway from Hacktoberfest is that becoming a better developer includes learning how to contribute responsibly.
I still have more to learn about Git, GitHub, and working with unfamiliar codebases. But I have a clearer place to start: understand the project, choose a manageable task, communicate clearly, and stay open to feedback.
Those are habits I want to bring into my university group projects and future work.
For me, Hacktoberfest is a starting point for continuing to learn with other people—and, little by little, becoming someone who can help them too.
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