Learning Git, GitHub, and GitHub Copilot with Mr Iszuddin at Agmo Academy

Today was an incredible learning experience! I attended the Agmo Academy program sponsored by TalentCorp, where I had the privilege of learning from Mr Iszuddin about Git, GitHub, and the powerful capabilities of GitHub Copilot. Let me share what I learned and my key takeaways.

About the Program

Agmo Academy is a fantastic initiative sponsored by TalentCorp aimed at upskilling Malaysian developers and tech professionals. Today’s session was focused on version control and modern AI-assisted development, which are essential skills in today’s tech landscape.

Git & GitHub Fundamentals

What is Git?

Git is a distributed version control system that allows developers to:

Track changes in code over time
Collaborate with other developers
Manage different versions of code
Revert to previous versions if needed

Key Git Concepts Mr Iszuddin Taught Us

# Initialize a new Git repository
git init

# Stage changes
git add .

# Commit changes
git commit -m "Your commit message"

# View commit history
git log

# Create a new branch
git branch feature-branch

# Switch branches
git checkout feature-branch

# Merge branches
git merge feature-branch

# Push to remote
git push origin main

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

GitHub: Beyond Just a Repository

GitHub is more than just a place to store code. It’s a complete platform for:

Collaboration - Work with teams on projects
Code Review - Use pull requests to review code before merging
Issue Tracking - Manage bugs and feature requests
Project Management - Organize work with projects and boards
CI/CD - Automate testing and deployment
Documentation - Host wikis and documentation

GitHub Copilot: AI-Powered Development

This was the highlight of the session! Mr Iszuddin showed us how GitHub Copilot can revolutionize the way we write code.

What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool that uses Large Language Models (LLM) to:

Suggest code completions as you type
Generate entire functions from comments
Write tests automatically
Explain code snippets
Learn from patterns in your code

Using GitHub Copilot Smarter

Mr Iszuddin taught us several techniques to get the most out of GitHub Copilot:

1. Write Clear Comments

Instead of just typing code, describe what you want to do:

// Fetch user data from API and filter active users
// Then sort by creation date in descending order
// Returns an array of active user objects

Copilot will then generate the appropriate code based on your comment.

2. Use Meaningful Function Names

// Copilot understands context from function names
function calculateMonthlyProjectRevenue(projects, startDate, endDate) {
  // Copilot will intelligently suggest implementation
}

3. Provide Type Hints

// TypeScript helps Copilot understand what types to expect
function processUserData(users: User[]): ProcessedUser[] {
  // Better suggestions with type information
}

4. Explain Complex Logic with Comments

// Before complex logic, add comments explaining the approach
// We need to find duplicate emails and merge user records
// keeping the oldest created_at and combining all transactions

5. Test-Driven Development with Copilot

// Write tests first, let Copilot implement the function
describe("validateEmail", () => {
  test("should return true for valid emails", () => {
    expect(validateEmail("user@example.com")).toBe(true);
  });

  test("should return false for invalid emails", () => {
    expect(validateEmail("invalid")).toBe(false);
  });
});

// Copilot can then generate the validateEmail function

Key Takeaways

1. AI is a Tool, Not a Replacement

GitHub Copilot should augment your coding skills, not replace them. You need to:

Understand what Copilot generates
Review suggestions critically
Know when Copilot suggestions are correct or wrong

2. Context is Everything

The better context you provide through:

Clear comments
Meaningful naming conventions
Type hints
Documentation

…the better suggestions Copilot will provide.

3. Continuous Learning

GitHub Copilot is constantly learning. The more you use it and train it with your coding patterns, the better it becomes for your workflow.

4. Security and Privacy Matter

When using GitHub Copilot:

Be careful about sensitive data
Review generated code for security vulnerabilities
Follow your organization’s security policies

5. Productivity Gains

When used correctly, GitHub Copilot can:

Speed up development - Write boilerplate code faster
Reduce cognitive load - Focus on logic, not syntax
Learn new patterns - Discover better ways to solve problems
Generate tests - Write test cases more efficiently

Practical Tips from Mr Iszuddin

Start with familiar code patterns - Copilot performs best with common patterns you already know
Use keyboard shortcuts - Master VS Code shortcuts to maximize productivity
Combine Git and Copilot - Use meaningful commit messages so Copilot understands your project context
Review before committing - Always review Copilot suggestions before committing code
Experiment and iterate - Try different comment styles to see what works best

My Honest Opinion

Before this session, I was skeptical about AI-assisted coding. But after seeing Mr Iszuddin demonstrate GitHub Copilot in action, I’m convinced it’s a game-changer for developers who:

Want to increase productivity
Are learning new programming languages
Need to write boilerplate code quickly
Want to explore different approaches to problems

The key is knowing how to use it smartly - it’s not about letting AI write all your code, but rather collaborating with AI to write better code faster.

What’s Next?

I’m excited to:

Practice using GitHub Copilot on my projects
Experiment with different comment styles
Explore Copilot’s code review and explanation features
Share these learnings with my team

Gratitude

A huge thanks to:

Mr Iszuddin for the clear and insightful teaching
Agmo Academy for organizing this program
TalentCorp for sponsoring such valuable learning opportunities

This is exactly the kind of hands-on, practical training that helps developers stay current with modern tools and best practices.

Resources to Learn More

Have you used GitHub Copilot before? I’d love to hear about your experience! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. 🚀