For novice coders, mastering version control systems like Git can seem daunting and unnecessary. However, version control is crucial for managing project changes, and you’ll only realize its value after using it. Version control is your guardian angel in the development world.

Consider a personal experience when a lack of version control proved costly:

In December 2016, I participated in Microsoft’s Code Fun Do. Our team aimed to build an app that displayed nearby hospitals and their contact information. We extracted hospital locations and contact numbers using Google’s API. The app was submission-worthy, but we made the grave mistake of not using version control. Inevitable bugs and changes led to lost track of progress, preventing a valid submission.

Another instance occurred during my internship at Optimize IT Systems in 2018. I was tasked with creating a demo project showcasing advanced React Native features. While version control wasn’t an issue, rushing to finish work led to forgetting to commit changes. The next day, installing a third-party React module messed up my build files, rendering my app unusable. It took an entire day to revert to my previous state.

Don’t postpone learning Git or any other version control system. While it may not seem essential at first, it’s an integral part of every project. Frequent commits, even for minor bug fixes, are essential.

P.S.: I’m still unsure about commits fixing typos. :)